ATL 1/21/08 - Compliance

June, 1982 - High School Graduation!
(Typical) Life in Compliance - Restaurant...Suburb...Church

MOVIE/ART/LOCAL/COMPLIANCE/NATIONAL/FRENCH/WEB NEWS

MOVIE NEWS - This Friday,"4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" - on several "Best Foreign Film" lists - is in limited release (meaning NOT Atlanta). What WILL be out in Atlanta includes "Meet the Spartans", standard spoof in the vein of "Scary Movie", and "Rambo", standard spoof in the the vein of anything Stallone has done since "Rocky".

ART NEWS -The Fox Theatre, Jan 22-27 - "The Drowsy Chaperone" - The musical winner of 5 Tony awards makes its way to Atlanta.

History Channel, Jan 21, 9-11:00 PM - "Life After People" - Okay, TV isn't really "art", but apocalyptic survival is pervasive in today's cultural landscape, with such post-disaster fare as "I Am Legend" in theaters, "The World Without Us" in bookstores, and Britney Spears everywhere.

Even at 12 years old, I can remember reading "Swiss Family Robinson" and "Mysterious Island" and thinking 'people need engineers.'

LOCAL NEWS - DESIGN - Looks like the ultra-cool Aquarius condos may be back on track. With solar and wind power generation incorporated into the tower and an automated parking garage, it would be a real technology first for Atlanta. Robotic parking systems are in place in other countries and are a nifty idea...when they work. Like my friend Michael said "I'll buy into the SECOND building in Atlanta with that technology. -ajc-

Heck...in our parking garage, we can barely get the gate to open...much less get a robot to tell us where our car is parked.

The Central Atlanta Progress / Atlanta Downtown Improvement District passed out awards in design excellence for 2007. Check 'em out - CAP/ADID. I have a soft spot for nominee French American Brasserie...designed to feel like dining in Paris.

COMPLIANCE NEWS - Took a break from my daily Work/Work-out/Work/Run routine here to see "Cloverfield" at the mall multi-plex. While sitting in front of Pizza King, waiting on my co-worker, I overheard folks approaching the theater. "Whoa...check out the line" said one teen; "it's huge".

"The line" had maybe 20 people in it - quite the crowd here in the wide open spaces of Oh-Hell-Hole!

NATIONAL NEWS - VIOLENCE - "We are not a nation at war; we are a military at war. We are a nation at Walmart."

The McPaper reports "75% of areas of Baghdad secure". Now if only they could boast that kind of success in AMERICA's cities!

Back home, NYT reports on 2 economists who conclude violent crimes are DOWN by 1000 per weekend during the last decade because of violent films in theaters. DOWN? It seems that during prime crime time, the bad guys are in a dark theater, munching popcorn & watching surrogate crimes, instead of in a bar, drinking & prepping for their own sprees.

This certainly disputes other economists' contentions that violent films (and music and video games) cause violent crime rates to go UP.

Who's right? I say lock all the contentious economists in a bar endlessly screening 'Saw VI'; the survivor is right.

FRENCH NEWS -Le Monde reports on Clinton, Romney, & McCain's campaign victories. How many Americans can even name the French president?

WEB NEWS - As a wedding photographer, I've been lucky enough to work with the most tasteful brides in the south, but I can still understand the pain of the dresses shown on uglydress.