Propaganda on wheels? The "war crimes" bus ads

I haven't blogged in more than three months. I've been using Facebook to convey most of my opinions on local and global happenings, and since the fall was packed with GRE prep, classes, and another contract gig for the Times, I seriously de-prioritized blogging. Still, I missed it. I missed writing in brief or at length about things that mattered to me. I missed getting the occasional response from a reader in New Zealand or Vermont or Patagonia. And since the cinematic year is drawing to a close, and I always make sure to write about my top 10 films of the year, I'll make sure 2010 is no exception. (Expect that post in early January; I still have to catch up on Winter's Bone, The Ghost Writer, and other critical darlings.)

In the meantime, I'll say that the growing Facebook campaign to remove a series of bus ads that accuse Israel of war crimes is getting my goat. It reminds me of the controversy surrounding the Seattle Rep's 2007 production of My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman show that presented the Israel-Palestine conflict from the perspective of a young woman who spent a lot more time with the Palestinians than with the Israelis, and who died after being run over by an Israeli bulldozer.

The Jewish community's argument against the show was that it offered a one-sided view of the Mideast conflict, and that the Rep's discussion panel included only liberal Jews. While it can certainly be argued that the play isn't an even-handed overview of Palestinian and Israeli concerns, the next step for outraged local Jews should have been to make statements, in whatever media they deemed appropriate, that reflected the pro-peace aspects of Israeli society and government. To an extent, they did just that. Aren't such actions protest enough?

Looking back, I think Rep artistic director David Esbjornson erred in claiming that the ADL's and Federation's program ads were an attempt to "discredit" the show. I also think Jewish leaders shouldn't have assumed that they would be afforded program space rather than having to purchase ads to air their views. As I've indicated on Facebook, in response to a group that intends to "stop" the bus ads, I think the Jewish community does itself a disservice when it pushes for censorship -- the outright removal of views it doesn't like -- rather than figuring out how best to answer the offending messages.

A little pro-Israel advertising might go a long way towards making people think; throwing around the word "libel" makes us look reactionary and defensive. And protected speech is protected speech. The bus ads qualify, and if that makes some local Jews uncomfortable, well, that's the price of free speech. The people who so despise those bus ads should come up with a little free speech of their own and, if need be, cover a few city buses with it. Couldn't hurt.

Red Blue Green quoted by Pew Research Center!

My April post about the British version of Scrabble that allows proper nouns apparently caught the eye of the nice folks at Pew, who proceeded to quote me in the recent article "Game Changer." To wit:

However, within a day, some bloggers and mainstream outlets such as the Washington Post did some investigating and determined that the BBC report was misleading. In reality, the Mattel company, which has international rights to the game but not the rights in the U.S., plans on releasing a new version called Scrabble Trickster, which will allow proper nouns. The original game will remain untouched.

Some bloggers updated their blogs accordingly.

"Reliable sources have informed me that the British version of Scrabble that permits proper nouns is, in fact, a gimmicky one-off rather than some kind of new world order," wrote Neal Schindler at Red Blue Green just hours after the initial news report surfaced. "The American version, owned by Hasbro, still bans proper nouns, as well it should. I feel better."

Needless to say, I'm honored. It's not every day a dedicated citizen journalist gets his name in lights. (I'm also thrilled, of course, to be mentioned in the same report as a blogger named Chris "Chugs" Taylor.) Hopefully I can show my appreciation by coming back to this blog, which I've been neglecting of late, mostly due to the demands of full-time work. Friends have noticed my absence and encouraged me to get back on the horse, and I appreciate that.

Your home for the LOLcat Passover story

I've been getting an unusual number of page views lately, and I owe it all to the feline version of Exodus. When you Google LOLcat Passover, my post from last Pesach is the top hit. Thanks, Talmudic LOLcats, for bringing this humble blog an unexpected wave of attention.

Comment of the week

This one comes from Diana, a college friend with a lovely blog of her own, in reference to my tell-all post about the nutritional intricacies of my diet:

Any way I can get my hands on that program? I'm one of those people that convinces myself that everything is just fine... until confronted with hard evidence. We eat more than half our meals vegetarian now, but we still need less cheese/pasta and more actual vegetables. Email me if you have a copy or something.

There's nothing like gardening to make you eat more veggies; I say GO for it. There's no WAY you're going to let that home-grown stuff go to waste: it becomes precious. We ate tomato-pepper-basil salads almost 3x per week this last summer, and just knowing how much work went into it made it seem delicious every time. I'm very sad that we won't have a garden next year (because of the shade issue) or perhaps even the next (since we can't afford to get the land cleared and I'm afraid of chainsaws).

White pages

Sasha redesigned her blog, transforming its aesthetic into something strikingly minimalist. Makes me want to tinker around with mine. We'll see. Maybe something new for 2010.

I'm also still thinking about buying MazelTofu.com, a domain I've wanted for a while now. The concept: a site devoted to Jewish vegetarian cooking, including recipes, test-kitchen adventures, and anecdotes. I'd probably build the page using WordPress; I'm just concerned that it would be frivolous to buy cyber-property during a low-income month. Perhaps posting the idea here will prompt me to finally act, before someone else nabs the URL.

Happy second birthday, Red Blue Green!

I started this blog on October 17, 2007, so it's just over two years old. Though I foolishly cancelled my MySpace account without realizing that my MySpace blog, which I started in 2005, would disappear with it, I'll always think fondly of that blog, which documented my five months in New York in 2006 and helped me develop a consistent blogging voice and style.

Without further ado, I'll continue an anniversary tradition: embedding a video wherein Thom Yorke performs the beautiful song that gave Red Blue Green its name. Enjoy!



I'll also take a modified version of the survey I used to kick off the MySpace blog nearly four years ago:

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Neal Elliott Schindler
Birthday:	February 9, 1979
Birthplace:	Detroit, Michigan
Current Location:	Seattle, Washington
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Brown
Height:	5'9"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	German/Jewish
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Brown Eccos, as always
Your Weakness:	Pasta/noodles; Lost; petting animals even though I'm allergic
Your Fears:	Not realizing my creative potential; remaining overweight for the rest of my life
Your Perfect Pizza:	Every vegetable imaginable needs to be on there
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Handling the big new challenges that seem to be coming my way
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	FYI
Thoughts First Waking Up:	It's cold in my room!
Your Best Physical Feature:	Eyes, I'm told
Your Bedtime:	Midnight, these days
Your Most Missed Memory:	College in general, Spain specifically
Pepsi or Coke:	Neither
McDonalds or Burger King:	Hell no
Single or Group Dates:	Group
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Neither
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Vanilla
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Mint tea
Do you Smoke:	No
Do you Swear:	Yes, too much
Do you Sing:	Rarely
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes!
Have you Been in Love:	Absolutely
Do you want to go to College:	I'm in college: community college
Do you want to get Married:	For sure
Do you believe in yourself:	More than I used to
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Occasionally, when I read on the bus
Do you think you are Attractive:	Sometimes
Are you a Health Freak:	Not yet
Do you get along with your Parents:	The remaining one, yes
Do you like Thunderstorms:	I miss them
Do you play an Instrument:	Not really
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	Once or twice
In the past month have you Smoked:	No
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	No
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	Yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yep
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	No
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	I have, and it was wonderful
In the past month have you been on Stage:	I walked on the stage at Kirkland Performance Center
In the past month have you been Dumped:	No
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	Sadly, no
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No!
Ever been Drunk:	Of course!
Ever been Beaten up:	Yep
Ever Shoplifted:	Not that I can recall
How do you want to Die:	Peacefully, painlessly
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	A writer; a filmmaker; a counselor for people with eating disorders
What country would you most like to Visit:	Thailand
Number of CDs I own:	I have more than 10,000 iTunes
Number of Piercings:	None
Number of Tattoos:	None
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	A few, for sure; I can think of four right now

"That's low, JDate. That's low."

Blogger Sasha Pasulka, aka Evil Beet, whom I've known since our teenage years, got attention from Gawker for this Yom Kippur-themed beauty:


As if there weren't already enough reasons to wonder about JDate. In other Sasha news, she gave a shout-out to the Kibbutz in her Yom Kippur post, where she links to this blog and my housemate Steven Blum's. It's always impressive when people as successful as Sasha remain so grounded and generous.

Kathlyn in Abu Dhabi

My filmmaker friend Kathlyn is in the United Arab Emirates for work through October, so she's started a blog to document her experience.

Obama's speech, live-blogged

Courtesy of the Times. Liz and Shaul wanted the president to take a stronger stand on the public option, but both agreed it was a decent speech. Liz summarized it as follows: Obama told the Republicans to stop being assholes, and made it clear that he intends to get some kind of reform passed. I think that about covers it. I did like the way he used the letter from Ted Kennedy to segue into the notion that health-care reform is a moral issue. That was a typically smart, powerful Obama move.

High-concept doll designers: You've gone too far

Zelda Lily reports on a doll that breastfeeds. Next, I suppose, we need one that develops colic. Or maybe one with a taste for human blood.

Newish local film blog

Publicola's FilmNerd covers a nice mix of high-profile stuff (Inglourious Basterds, John Hughes' death) and under-the-radar stuff (local writer-director David Russo's The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, which I reviewed during SIFF).

Who's counting

Yesterday, for the first time in its recorded statistical history, Red Blue Green received 100 page loads in one day. That may seem like peanuts compared to runaway successes like Evil Beet, but for me it's a satisfying achievement. Thanks to StatCounter, I also found out the other day that two Iranians had visited my blog. As Kelly noted earlier today, it's easy to become a total blog-stats geek within days of installing any of the online counter tools (Google Analytics is another good one). Thanks to everyone who visits Red Blue Green, especially those who have supported it from the beginning. Let's see if I can break 200 by year's end...

What not to eat

Steven recently told me about This Is Why You're Fat, a mean-sounding blog that actually caters (no pun intended) to my love of the absurd and the edible. Some of what readers submit is truly surreal; it's basically the OINY of eats.

Problems of privilege

As the years pass, I empathize more and more with what Sasha expressed in a recent post. The following passage feels especially relevant:

I recall back in my days as an engineering student, sitting in the lab chatting with a young female classmate from India. She was telling me about the men her parents were considering having her marry. I was aghast.

“Your parents are choosing your husband?”

“Yes,” she said. “That’s how we’ve always done it.”

“But don’t you want some say in it? Doesn’t that seem horribly unfair?”

She laughed. “I watch you American girls and your dating. You are always so unhappy. It sounds terrible. I don’t want that.”

I’m almost envious of the days when women had no options, no careers and arranged marriages. I see the insanity in that, but I don’t feel it. I’m tired of options. I’m exhausted from heartbreak and doubt and risk-taking and failure and maybes. I just want to see the path I’m on, get a copy of the maze with the solution on the back.

Thai Tom closed by Public Health -- for about a day

Thanks to Steven for the info. Not surprising by any means, but certainly unfortunate, since the Tom has been serving up fast, tasty, authentically spicy food for years now. Michael even sang its praises in the Weekly a few years ago.

Update, July 27: Psych! Thai Tom is open again. I just had their spicy noodles on Aleph's patio with Dane, Steven, Masha, Ilana, and Sergey. Combined with somewhat cool beer, a delight.

"Rachel" and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

One of Dane's friends, Davey, recently wrote a terrific post about Jewish San Franciscans who pressured SFJFF not to screen Rachel, a documentary about the late activist Rachel Corrie, about whom I've also written. (It ended up being screened, as JTA reported today.) When Davey refers to

a small but wealthy segment of the Jewish community that is so Zionist that it considers it inappropriate for a Jewish film festival to screen any film that is not explicitly and completely pro-Israeli-government

the word "groupthink" comes to mind, and I feel grateful that I was raised with healthy skepticism in relation to Israel.

When I was growing up, if someone around our family's Passover table said "Next year in Jerusalem," as is customary, my father would express ambivalence about that supposedly universal Jewish yearning. I think a source of my own ambivalence with regard to Jewish identity is related to the notion that because I'm Jewish I should believe X, Y, or Z, or should support Israel in this or that particular way. I'm an individual, I have my own mind, and the Israeli government is a government, not something God created, not the 11th commandment. It's flawed, and when it's acting as an oppressor, it needs to be called out, especially by Jews.

Some aspects of my skepticism towards Judaism and certain things Jewish may reflect deep-seated ethnic self-loathing, but when it comes to questioning Israel's actions (and its incredibly suspect "internal investigations" of such incidents as Corrie's death), skepticism equals common sense.

Emily Gould on "Away We Go"

Today Steven read me Ms. Gould's harsh review of the new Sam Mendes movie, which was written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (the movie, not the review). She gets a few details wrong, but I can't say I disagree with much of what she says -- especially in the following passage, where she discusses one of the movie's major theses, "that it’s okay to be an asshole if you feel that someone else is being an asshole, because assholeness, in that context, is a way of being good":

This lesson is most clearly taught in Away We Go’s Maggie Gyllenhaal sequence. Maggie’s character LN (I don’t get it — is the letter “e” a tool of the patriarchy?) is a hyphenated-surnamed professor of something who lives in a nice bungalow full of Buddhist kitsch in Wisconsin. Her toddler breastfeeds (we’re meant to find this gross) and she and her longhaired, pirate-shirted husband exude the exact same creepy sexual pretentiousness that Will Farrell and Rachel Dratch do in those SNL “lovahh” sketches. Except those sketches are funny. LN isn’t funny, because she’s not satirizing anything real. This is irritating because there is a rich vein of 100% authentic ridiculous hippie over/underparenting that exists, but the movie will not tap it, because that might offend someone, I guess? So when LN condescendingly explains to Burt and Verona, who are visiting Wisconsin to see whether they might want to raise their unborn daughter there, that she adheres to a (made-up) parenting philosophy that eschews strollers because, she says, “I love my babies. Why would I want to push them away from me?”, it isn’t funny, not to me at least. And when she says this, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) covertly exchange a look of “This person is totally cuckoo for cocoa puffs!” and roll their eyes at each other.

Eventually they can’t keep their disdain to themselves: at dinner, Burt finally snaps and announces to LN and her husband, in front of their toddler, that they are “bad people” who are full of “bullshit.” Then Verona stands aside and giggles smugly as Burt grabs the verboten stroller that they’d brought as a thoughtless gift and entices the toddler to take a ride in it. We are meant to giggle smugly, too, at LN’s comeuppance — except I was too busy trying to puzzle out which couple’s self-righteousness we were meant to be laughing at, to laugh.

This is not a long, reflective post

I haven't been writing those for a while. Variety of reasons. I do want to get back to them, but in the meantime I've tried to post little things I've found around the Internet. And I hope to feature more old poems -- the ones I'm willing to share.

I have a new writing goal: Send poems to trusted fellow writers, get feedback, and read at Coffeehouse in August. I've found myself writing new poems lately from a place of need, i.e. "I'm going slightly crazy and I need to get this out in a brief, relatively unstructured form that forgives vagueness, at least in the first draft." So I'll maybe start posting those. I read other people's blogs and see what personal stuff they reveal -- Sasha and Dane come immediately to mind -- and I'm inspired and a little ashamed that I don't do the same.

There's the 21st-century dilemma of how much to make public, since your boss or mother or friends or ex might be reading what you write, but other bloggers seem to find that fine line pretty consistently. I thought I was running a slight risk when I wrote about going, and staying, on Lexapro, but there's stuff that's a whole lot more personal than that. And maybe by posting poems I can bring some of it to light.

Need dating advice?

Sasha has you covered.

Ebert on food, Dawdy on mental health

Roger Ebert's review of the documentary Food, Inc., which is based on Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, makes me want to see it this coming week at the Egyptian. Anybody care to join me?

In other news, former Seattle Weekly reporter Philip Dawdy's recent post "Study: Serotonin Gene Not Linked To Depression" is a reminder of what makes his blog so valuable. I found the impassioned back-and-forth among the commenters especially compelling.