Metroland

Penny Riddling

I've been trying to keep up with this video project Matthew Loiacono's got going whereby each track from his Penny Riddle EP is getting its own one-minute illustration. Here are the latest two:

No Salvation, but a Couple of Laughs

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Time for this week's movie reviews. (I reviewed the French romantic comedy Shall We Kiss?, but since it has vanished from theaters after only one week, I will not excerpt my scribblings here.)

Ann Morrow on Terminator Salvation:

"To add atmosphere to all the heavy-metal carnage, McG brushstrokes the dreary landscape with evocative visuals such as nighttime flare rockets reminiscent of Vietnam, oil-drum fires that could’ve come from Kuwait, and incongruously enough, Nazi-like cattle-car roundups. It’s more than distracting, as part of the film’s appeal should’ve been a feature-length travelogue to the dehumanized, machine-made apocalypse of Earth in the year 2029. Problem is, Terminator Salvation is so lacking in human interest that the machines have already won."

Laura Leon on Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian:

"For the most part, the writing is a mess, with gaping, unexplained plot holes and a completely uninspired challenge to the protagonist. In fact, in almost all ways, Night at the Museum is a mess, and yet, its individual gifts give audiences something to really enjoy."

Read both reviews in their entirety here.

Terence Kindlon on the Newburgh 4

Albany's own Terence Kindlon is interviewed by TPM Muckraker on the Newburgh 4 and the FBI's tactics:

" 'It could have been any kind of conspiracy you wanted,' said Kindlon. 'I think what happened is that the FBI--during the Bush administration--basically designed a conspiracy, dreamed up a scary story, shooting down airplanes... and they found four idiots to become the defendants. It was like they dressed them up in halloween costumes.'

He called the Newburgh case 'an idiotic charade,' adding 'it's like professional wrestling: everyone knows its fake, but it's fun to watch.' "

Read he whole thing here.

Breakfast at Sulimay's

The nerve. The arrogance. Where do music critics get off throwing their opinions around all willy-nilly? Why should we care what some shlub at some kitty-litter rag thinks about some disc we've never heard of anyway? God--it's like they've got retired city workers from Philadelphia doing this work over styrofoam cups of coffee . . .

The bus stops stopping here

Cecelia Martinez writes about the CDTA's attempts to cut back on service hours in today's issue.

Blue bags have been placed on 250 bus-stop signs throughout the Capital Region, notifying riders of route consolidations by the Capital District Transportation Authority. As part of that consolidation, CDTA will eliminate some bus stops. On routes where buses once stopped at every block, for example, some routes will now have bus stops only every two or three blocks.

This has transportation advocates concerned with how the changes will affect riders, and upset over what they feel has been a lack of public notification and involvement by CDTA.

Rumble in the 7th Ward

The Albany Democratic Committee will endorse anyone for Cathy Fahey’s council seat, except Cathy Fahey

Team player, said Bob Jukes, means exactly that: team player. Cathy Fahey, councilwoman for the 7th Ward, might represent the 7th well in the Albany Common Council, but when it comes to her responsibilities in the ward’s Democratic committee, Jukes, the ward leader, said, she hasn’t been a team player.

Fahey, who is running for a second term in the 7th Ward, has now twice lost her committee’s endorsement vote. The first time, she lost to George Lynch, who later withdrew from the race due to a job conflict. The second time, Fahey lost to political neophyte Susan Tobin. However, Jukes failed to invite Fahey to this second vote, which he now admits was a mistake, and Fahey complained to the committee’s chair, Dan McCoy. A third vote has been scheduled.

Afternoon Inanity

After money loses the last of its exchange value, we'll still have something useful to do with it.

Awkward Family Photos

It's already done been linked all over this here internet, but in case you haven't yet seen this stuff, do click.

Anton Konev to run for Common Council

Anton Konev announced today via e-mail his candidacy for Common Council in the 11th Ward. The 25-year-old Konev, who lost a 2007 campaign for Albany County Legislature, is the executive director of the Coalition for Change PAC and has previously worked with the Albany for Obama campaign and the Coalition to Save Albany.

Konev seems to have an open playing field at this point. Rumors have it that the current 11th Ward Councilman Glen Casey may run for council president.

The 11th is in the heart of Pine Hills. In his e-mail, Konev outlined the priorities of his platform with a primary focus on safety, a hot issue for the Pine Hills neighborhood.

"We need to bring back community policing," Konev wrote, "and ensure that youth and college-age students have healthy entertainment after school in a way that does not disturb their neighbors - sports, arts, music, affordable internet and computer games, not just bars."

The Pine Hills neighborhood has been plagued with a number of muggings and robberies as of late, and the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association hosted a Public Safety Forum late last month. Konev first became involved with safety in Pine Hills when he started the Midtown Neighborhood Watch after being attacked on Washington Avenue in 2005.

Konev, who previously worked with mayoral candidate Corey Ellis, has not indicated whether he will seek the endorsement of any political parties. He ran as an independent in his 2007 legislature race.

He will be hosting a fundraiser May 18 at Elda's on Lark Street from 8-10 PM. For more information, contact konevforcouncil@gmail.com.

UPDATE: Konev said that he is entering the Democratic Party primary and last weekend interviewed for Working Families Party and Independence Party lines.

Councilwoman Fahey claims she was shut out of committee meeting

A press release from Albany Common Councilwoman Catherine Fahey:

The Seventh Ward Committee met without inviting all its members to endorse candidates for ward and citywide offices.  One of the members left off the invitation list was the Seventh Ward Councilmember Cathy Fahey. The meeting was organized by ward chair Robert Jukes.

“I heard through the grapevine that the committee was meeting and showed up anyway,” Fahey stated. “When I pressed Mr. Jukes for an explanation, he replied that I wasn’t a team player, that if I ‘acted’ more like a committee member, he would have invited me.”