“Working for a major studio can be like trying to have sex with a porcupine. It’s one prick against thousands.” Who said it?
Nota Bene #101: Your Pal, Mike S.
“The guys who are shooting films now are technically brilliant, but there’s no content in their films. I marvel at what I see and wish I could have done a shot like […]
Nota Bene #99: Heed the Peace Gnome
“You just pick up a chord, go twang, and you’ve got music.” Who said it?
Nota Bene #97: toDwI'ma' qoS yItIvqu'!
“To be truly free, and truly to appreciate its freedom, a society must be literate.”
Nota Bene #91: No Joke
Well I figured I’d give you all a break
Ten years on: the enduring lessons of Columbine
Part one of a series April 20, 2009: 11:19 am MDT Ten years ago a co-worker turned to me and said something that I’ll never forget, no matter how long I live: […]
Onstage on the street: policing as performance at the DNCC
By Ann Ivins video and editing by JS O’Brien Street theater is a traditional medium of political dissent, but the protesters at the 2008 Democratic National Convention might do well to look […]
Confronting our inner vigilante (part 2)

Is taking justice into your own hands ever justified? I Don’t Like the Looks of This Early one recent morning, I boarded a subway on the 1 line, which runs north and […]
Confronting our inner vigilante

Is taking justice into your own hands ever justified? (Part 1) If you’re not from New York, the name Bernard Goetz may not ring a bell. The expression “subway vigilante” might though. […]
Sean Bell's killers will walk, but should they?
by JS O’Brien Nearly every morning for the past few weeks, I’ve brewed a strong cup of orange pekoe, sat down at my computer, and googled “Sean Bell” to get the latest […]