Sasha Soren

"Arte Six" - JULY 2004 - Volume 2
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FILM/SCREENWRITING (news, events, opps)
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FILM/Festivals/Germany
“Fantasy Filmfest”
July 21 – August 18

Boom-sha-la-la-la, it’s the magickal horror/fantasy tour.

Starting out in Munich, and cutting a creepy swathe through Stuttgart, Cologne and Frankfurt, to a final weeklong blow-out in Berlin, the Fantasy Filmfest dishes everything from haute horreur to gore-n-splatter.

The festival kicks off with black comedy/fantasy “Kontroll”. The film centers on a group of ticket inspectors and a killer having a field day on the Budapest metro.

Also in the ‘recurring horror theme/cautionary tale’ category, “Perfect Strangers”, in which the protagonist learns that her dark prince charming is, in effect, not. He’s played by Sam Neill, who has this penchant for playing quiet, bug-eyed lunatics.

Then there’s first-time director Greg Page's ghost-horror film “The Locals,” which tells the story of friends Grant and Paul, who hit the road for a weekend of surfing and booze, etcetera. Instead, they meet…The Locals. Mouha-ha-ha.

Urban legend springs to life in “Koma,” a psychological thriller that kicks off with that ‘wakes up missing a kidney’ scenario.

Directed by Lo Chi-Leung, “Koma” unites Hong Kong horror queens Lee Sinje (“The Eye”) and Karena Lam (“Inner Sense”), in a game where the victim and the victimizer can no longer keep their identities separate.

For folks who get a kick out of luxuriating in paranoia, there’s “Freeze Frame”, “The Machinist” and “Hanging Offense”. They’re all various takes on the theory that if you believe they’re out to get you, one day you just might be right.

In the blood-as-impressionist-art category, try “Dead and Breakfast”, featuring six friends who get stranded in Lovelock, featuring David Carradine as a Buddhist innkeeper, and, of course, The Locals.

A creepier gore option: “The Ordeal”. Which, like the title “Funny Games,” kinda tells the story right there.

Full-on action in several wire-fu/thriller/fantasy hybrids: “Dead End Run”, “The Twins Effect/Chin Gei Bin”, or “Sword in the Moon”.

Swordplay epic “Azumi”, features kick-ass swordswoman Azumi, trained since birth as a master assassin.
Another option: “Arahan”, which starts off with the premise that the guardians of galactic peace are actually rumpled, ordinary folks:

“Arahan”: 2004 A.D. -- In the midst of Seoul, where high-res camera phones, MP3s and iPods capture the attention of the young...window-cleaners calmly carry on their job, dangling thousands of feet above the ground. Wrinkled grannies on the street handle heavy satchels as if they were air-filled balloons. What if these are the “masters” of the secret disciplines of the East, preserving the peace of our world without our knowledge?

Next off, the satanic-possession-film-batch, headed up by the world premiere of “Strandvaskeren/The Drowning Ghost”; middling storyline about weird doings at an all-girl school, but some creepy visuals.

In “Evil Words”, a horror novelist seems to be the catalyst for a horrific killing spree.

Moving on to the more esoteric, there’s “Nothing,” a surrealistic comedy by the same director who popped up with sci-fi/thriller oddity “Cube” in 1997.

This time around, the protags know each other – but that doesn’t help them any. Best friends Dave and Andrew wish they could escape from their dead-end jobs and boring lives. They get what they wished for – sort of. They open the door to the outside world to find that nothing exists beyond a white void of non-being.

What they’ve got: Themselves. Their house. And nothing. Are they dead? Is life just on ‘pause’? Can they write anything on their blank slate? Questioning their existence, Andrew and Dave ultimately reject these hypotheses: after all, they still have cable…

Next up, anime meets live action in “Immortel” (Ad Vitam).

Visually mind-blowing, but skimpy on plot, “Immortel” is the dark sci-fi/cyberpunk brainchild of comics-artist-turned-director, Enki Bilal.

It’s New York City, 2095 A.D. or thereabouts; eugenics is getting a bad rep, mysterious messages appear around the city, signed by the ‘spirit of Nikopol’, the ancient Egyptian gods gang up on Horus in their pyramid, which is busy floating in mid-air over the post-apocalyptic gloom of New York City. As this is (still) New York City, no one notices.

Horus is looking for a one night stand with a girl who is, inexplicably, blue. Mystery man Nikopol finally puts in an appearance and loses a leg, Horus ropes him into tracking down the girl with the blue tears, further incomprehensibility ensues.

A doctor and a serial killer show up, and, incidentally, there’s an election going on.

Keep your eye on the blue girl. The movie’s about her.

The meandering storyline is drawn from two of Bilal’s graphic novels: "La Foire aux Immortels/Carnival of Immortals” and "La Femme Piège/The Woman Trap” in his Nikopol Trilogy (the last volume is “Froid Équateur”).

Lastly, for everyone who saw “The Ring” and got the jeebies about TV screens – here comes a brand-new way to scare yourself.

It’s “Ringu” all over again, only this time it’s all about the creepyhaha dial tone, in “One Missed Call”.

What goes down: Yumi Nakamura is out drinking with her friend Yoko, when Yoko receives a call on her cell phone. The ring tone is completely new to her – the display reads “One Missed Call”. When she checks the message, it seems to have originated from her own phone.

Even weirder, there are screams that sound like her own on the message, but the timestamp on the message is dated three days into the future. Hmmm.

Three days later, at the exact time of the call and with the same piercing scream, Yoko plunges to her death from a railway bridge.

Kenji, another friend of Yumi’s, receives the same sort of call. Poof. Gone.

One more victim. Same ol’ creepy ring. Everybody is still hanging around with Yumi, but why, we don’t know, because it’s not like she’s bringing them any good news, if you catch our drift.

This time, Yumi's best friend, Natsumi receives the call of doom, but the message is a little different. Video footage on the phone’s display shows someone sneaking up behind her own terror-stricken self.

Natsumi knows she is doomed and starts to lose it. Ignoring Yumi's pleas, she agrees to go on TV live and undergo an exorcism at the hour she is predicted to die.

Meanhile, Yumi, who’s understandably freaked at her new role as incidental slingshot-of-doom, teams up with oddball funeral director, Hiroshi Yamashita (Shinichi Tsutsumi), whose sister was killed by the same horrifying curse.

The two of them follow the trail of deaths, trying to make sense of it all. As do we all.

Natsumi's moment of truth approaches. At the forecasted moment, live on national TV, she dies a horrifying death, which makes for some killer ratings.

As bad-luck-babe Yumi and funereal cutie Yamashita gaze down on Natsumi’s twisted corpse...Yumi's phone begins to ring.

Director Takashi Miike had a blast shooting the film, saying he even scared himself. ‘Course, we can wait for the new “One Missed Call” ringtone to start surfacing any day, now. Brrr-ing.

NB: Yes, there really is a street called Nymphenburger. Quit bugging us to say it sounds rather rude. Genau. Blame it on those mad Bavarians.

Find it:
MUNICH July 21-28
Cinema, Nymphenburgerstrasse, 31
Get info: 089-55-52-55
City, Sonnenstrasse, 12
Get info: 089-59-1983

BERLIN August 11-18
Cinemaxx, Potsdamerstrasse,5
Get info: 01805-246-36-299

Tour schedule:
Munich, July 21-28
Stuttgart, July 28 – August 4th
Frankfurt, August 4th-11th
Cologne, August 4th-11th
Hamburg, August 11th-18th
Berlin, August 11th-18th
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FILM/Festivals/NYC
July 20-22
Reel Venus Film Festival

Fledgling festival Reel Venus launched in 2003, to showcase film and video shorts by emerging and established female directors. The 2004 festival lineup includes 60 alternative and mainstream shorts from all genres, including regional work by New York City-based filmmakers. All screenings begin 6:30pm.

Highlights include “Downpour Resurfacing,” directed by Frances Nkara (the film aired on the Independent Lens series this spring), and “Fasteners”.

Directed by Marianne M. Kim, “Fasteners” is an experimental performance-based video inspired by the movement of Japanese Butoh and the writings of Nobel Prize winner Elias Cannetti. The short explores the phenomenon of volatile interdependence between twins.

Cocktail reception: July 19, 7pm
City Center in Studio 5, 130 West 56th Street

Find it: Symphony Space in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater
95th and Broadway, NYC
Get info: (212) 714-8375
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FILM/Festivals/Montreal
July 8-August 1
FanTasia

Montreal’s “FanTasia” festival is a surefire cure for cinematic ennui. Showcasing some of the most original and unusual new films, “FanTasia” draws more than 70,000 visitors during the festival’s three-week run. With reason.

Why?

Proposition: Three weeks of outrageous, thought-provoking celluloid from Japan, Spain, South Korea, Italy, Hong Kong, Germany, Thailand, Denmark, France, Russia, India, New Zealand, Chile, Brazil, Australia, Holland, Scotland, Belgium, Sweden, Great Britain, the U.S., Quebec and Canada. In one place. Six bucks a ticket. Go, go, go.

Predominantly a fantasy/action/horror festival, “FanTasia” is still home to a lot of offbeat, eclectic films whose individuality secures them a spot of their own.

Only one major nit-pick: they’re not doing too well on finding cool movies featuring competent women. Nary a one on the list, with the (dubious) exception of swordfu flick, “Azumi”. And that’s pushing it. Maybe next year.

Some finds unearthed at past festivals: Hideo Nakata’s “Ringu”, Kang Jegyu’s “Shiri” and Satoshi Kon’s “Perfect Blue” all made international debuts at FanTasia. Among Canadian premieres, “The Blair Witch Project”, “Wendigo” and Park Chan-Wook’s “Joint Security Area”.

New this year: “Komistok Fantasia” (July 16-18) for fans of comix/manga, featuring film shorts and feature-length movies (ex: “Immortel”) adapted from comic books, and a showcase of work from publisher DC Comics, Dark Horse, Slave Labor Graphics, Drawn & Quarterly, Éditions de la Pastèque, l'Oie de Cravan, l'Association and Oni.

Right. Back to the main fest.

More than 100 feature length movies and some 60 short films (most notably action, comedy, documentaries, drama, martial arts, science fiction, fantasy and cult movies) screen this year.

Highlights: Features

“A Journey Into Bliss”
Inside a gigantic floating “snailboat”, grizzled Captain Gustav is on the verge of retirement. [Then] his ship stumbles across an island that for all intents and purposes, does not exist. The region is under surreal monarchist rule, lorded over by crazy king Kniffi.

Talking frogs, insightful snowmen...Ladies and gentlemen, meet Wenzel Storch. He has come to us from another planet with a mission to illustrate how delirious filmmaking can be when with NO RULES and a ton of imagination. – Mitch Davis

“Fantasia”
A small detective agency struggles to get by in 1969 Hong Kong. The situation takes an unexpected turn when Fugu polishes a magic lamp and out pops Bobo, a sorceress who’s just graduated from a Hogwart-style magic school and thus is less than fully prepared to weave her spells correctly (there’s this awkward delay, leading to some serious problems).

Bobo is the trigger for a series of anarchic situations that will quickly dump our heroes into a great big chaotic mess…hysterically funny but genuinely touching. — Julien Fonfrêde (trans: Rupert Bottenberg)

“Into the Mirror”
The Dreampia shopping center is about to reopen. Employees of the mall are committing suicide on the premises -- or so it seems. What look superficially like open-and-shut cases are, upon deeper consideration, ambiguous and troubling. For starters, the victims are all right-handed, yet the wounds suggest they were inflicted with the left...
“Into the Mirror” is a solid addition to the growing bank of atmospheric, psychological horror films from Asia. Well-executed special effects cleverly confound the viewer, shuffling reality and reflection like a deck of cards and creating a sense of constant, eerie disorientation. Take a look in the mirror -- are you sure it’s yourself staring back? – Rupert Bottenberg

“Jailbreakers”
Minor criminals Yoo Jae-pil and Choi Mu-suk break out of prison for entirely different reasons: Jae-pil to stop his former fiancée Kyung-soon from marrying, and Mu-suk to justify the six years it took him to dig the escape tunnel with a spoon. Once out of prison, the hapless duo discover that they were both in line for a full pardon in two days time. Now they just have to find a way to break back in. — Donato Totaro

“Ritual”
A filmmaker in the throes of a serious creative block wanders erratically through the city. He discovers an enigmatic and eccentric girl sitting on a train track, clutching a red umbrella (her shield from the outside world) and ceaselessly repeating that the next day will be her birthday. This is the ritual that she repeats day after day, anticipating the moment that she’ll disappear. Fascinated, the filmmaker begins following her, and so begins an aimless urban pilgrimage where everything leans to the…unexpected. — Julien Fonfrêde (translated by Rupert Bottenberg)

“Romasanta”
Let it be said right away that Paco Plaza’s “Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt” is one of the best werewolf movies ever made; a tense, edgy, chillingly macabre tale, graced by passionate and credible performances from a fine cast of actors. The film packs a real punch, and the impact is heightened by the knowledge that it’s based on true events.
Elena Serra and Alberto Marini’s script is adapted from award-winning novelist Alfredo Conde’s book, “Romasanta: Unreliable Memoirs of a Werewolf".
- Mike Hodges, “Fangoria”

“The Uninvited”
Weeks away from marriage and exhausted after a long day at work, Jung-Won falls asleep on the subway. He awakes disoriented, just in time to catch his stop. Upon exiting he sees two little girls seated alone on the train, themselves deep in sleep. The next day, Jung-Won...learns that two girls were found poisoned on the subway. When he gets home, he has a vision of the dead girls seated lifelessly in his kitchen. This will not be the last time he encounters them...

In a psychiatrist’s office, he meets a narcoleptic named Yun, whom he learns is also having visions of the dead children...It wouldn’t be fair to reveal another beat, but suffice it to say, this doesn’t go anywhere you’d expect it to, and [the punchline] will leave you chilled to your very soul. By first-time feature director Lee Soo-Yeon. – Mitch Davis

Highlights: Short films
(Pre/reviews: Mitch Davis)

“Little Things”
Hilarious, slightly mean animation from the UK details how the miserable and mundane in daily life repeat in an unstoppable routine, even under the harshest of circumstances.

“Living Dead Girl”
The dead rise, the living begin to be eaten and a couple barricade themselves into an old home. Sound familiar? Think again...

“Never Ever After”
Mariano Baino returns to the indie film scene with this strange short fairy tale about bodily alterations in a self-conscious society. Deep saturated lighting, dada-ist art direction, and ghoulish wit are the order of the day.

“Table 13”
Arthur has planned what he believes is the perfect robbery. He has assembled his dream team of criminals for breakfast. Unfortunately for Arthur, the prospective victim of this brilliant robbery was also invited for breakfast at table 13.

Highlights: “Komistock”

“Arzak Rhapsody”
Jean “Moebius” Giraud is one of the most celebrated artists of the modern French comic-book world. His art is a psychedelic kaleidoscope of the weird and the wonderful, rendered with signature precision.
His stories are a descent into deep dream logic, unique fables pulsating with fear, laughter, lust and profound, mystical imagination. Moebius himself wrote, drew and directed all 14 brief episodes seen in “Arzak”. Moebius will be on hand at the screening of “Arzak Rhapsody”. — Rupert Bottenberg

Find it: Hall Theatre and J.A. De Sève Theatre
Concordia University
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8, Canada
Get there: Metro: Guy-Concordia
Get info/tix: (514) 790-1245, (800) 361-4595
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FILM/Festivals/London
Rushes Soho Shorts Festival
July 31-August 6th

Skirting a thinnish line between indie cool and marketing ho-ha, Rushes Soho Shorts (tagline: we want your shorts) hits London cafes this month, with continuous screenings of short films in venues all over Soho.

On the plus side, it’s free, and you can go walk-about in Soho to catch new work by emerging directors, in several categories: animation, drama, comedy, and arthouse music video. Old Compton Street/Shaftesbury Avenue area is fest central.

The festival wraps with a party at “Sound” [http://www.soundlondon.com] in Leicester Square.

Shortlisted films in competition:

“JoJo in the Stars”
In a world without color...a story of love, self-sacrifice and jealously set against a nightmarish and hauntingly beautiful world in black and white.

“Little Things”
Sketches of a dysfunctional world in which everybody has their favorite foibles. And neurotic habits. When a cataclysmic event shakes things up, do we adapt, or are we just too set in our ways to give a damn?

“The Brick”
Black comedy about a lazy demon who’s become delusional, thinking he’ll be able to take over the world with a magic brick.

“After Dolly”
Reflections on the future of cloning.

“Ten Minute Movie”
All Sam wants is a shot at fame. But sometimes fame shoots back. Sam's got just ten minutes to get the girl and stop the plot from spiraling out of control.

“Gone”
A boy goes through hell when he witnesses something terrible but fails to act to stop it.

“Terrible Kisses”
A woman's gift to her lover - lipstick kisses all over his body - turns into an indelible nightmare when the kisses won’t wash off.

Find it: Too many venues to list. Here’s a venue/screening info/metro map. [http://www.sohoshorts.com/venues_map.htm]
Get info: 020-7935-3337, 020-7734-2255

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BOOKS/WRITERS (features, news, tips, reviews)
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Lives Mini-view: Andrea Semple, comic novelist

“Life is nothing like a box of chocolates. Forrest Gump was wrong.”

Getting started: I'm not someone who goes out and sits in coffee shops scribbling observations about people. I think the inspiration to write comes from inside not outside, but it's impossible to be more specific. There's certainly no magic inspiration cupboard you can open up and grab new ideas from.

The length of time needed to complete a novel is also pretty nebulous. It depends. I completed my first novel, “The Ex-Factor,” in about three months (writing for about nine hours a day). I was surprised that my mum liked it. Given all the sex scenes, I thought she'd disown me.

My second novel, “The Make-Up Girl,” took longer - almost a year.

Quirks: I write everything down on paper before typing it up. Don't ask me why. I just find that ideas come faster with a pen in my hand than when I'm staring at the keyboard.

Cities I dream about: Paris, without a doubt. In fact, the next place I move is definitely going to be there, I've already been looking at apartments. Sure, it's an arrogant city, but it's earnt its rights. Walking around the Latin Quarter in evening light is close to heaven.

My favorite downtime reads:
For news and book stuff, http://www.guardian.co.uk.
For a laugh, my boyfriend's site, at:
http://www.matthaig.com.

Fave authors: Emily Brontë, Arundhati Roy, Matt Haig (he’s my boyfriend, but he's still very good), Jonathan Franzen, Nick Hornby, Charles Dickens.

Historical fiction faves:
My favorite is a line from “Jane Eyre”: 'Reader, I married him' - because it is the simplest, most intimate connection between the writer and the reader in literature. And that's what writing is all about - connecting.

Writer’s Block:
I think it's more accurately called writer's fear because writer's block is really just the fear of writing stuff you'd later be ashamed of. The trick is to not be afraid by realizing you can edit out the crap later.

The Myth:
The biggest myth about writing is that everything which comes out of your mouth is going to be wise or witty or interesting. Most of the time I speak a load of crap.

If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be: a synchronized swimmer (see answer above).

Things I wish I’d known:

Writing life - Don't spend the money before the cheque is in the bank.
Personal life - Getting 'romantic' in the shower can result in serious injury.

Life is: nothing like a box of chocolates. Forrest Gump was wrong.

Author bio: Andrea Semple is the author of
“The Ex-Factor” (Piatkus)
[http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/
0749933542/ref=sr_aps_bo
oks_1_1/026-3687502-1423624] and “The Make-Up Girl” (Piatkus, July 2004)[http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/
0749935049/qid=107722672
7/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_10_3/026-3687502-1423624].

She’s also worked as a freelance journalist, completing lifestyle features for “The Guardian”, “The Independent” and “Eve” magazine.
She publishes a monthly email newsletter for writers. Before her writing career took off, Semple worked as a nightclub manager in Ibiza. Semple lives in Leeds (UK), with partner Matt Haig, who recently published his first book, “The Last Family in England”.
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BOOKS/WRITERS:
NYC/KGB Bar
Reading
July 21

James Blaylock, "Thirteen Phantasms"
Steven Popkes, “Winters are Hard”
The Fantastic Fiction series, curated by Ellen Datlow and Gavin J. Grant, is on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm at KGB. Come early.

“Thirteen Phantasms”: The first short story collection from Philip K. Dick Award-winning author James Blaylock features sixteen thought-provoking forays into the fantastic — from a tale of alien influence on an ordinary neighborhood to the story of one man's self-destructive obsession with a dragon.

“Winters are Hard”: In the tradition of most writers, Steven Popkes’ job has been what comes immediately to hand: house restorer to morgue tech to software engineer to white water rafting guide.

He’s the author of “Caliban Landing” and “Slow Lightning”.

He shares his birthday with John Lennon and was married on the ten-year anniversary of his death. Both were coincidences and discovered after the fact.

Excerpt, “Winters are Hard”, by Steven Popkes:

I let the silence go on for a bit. "I wasn't sure you would see me."

He shrugged. "Why not? What could you do to me now?"
I ignored that. "You're not a wolf anymore."
"I was never a wolf."
"Yes you were."

He looked at me.

I spread my hands. "Not in shape, of course. But you had left people behind. You didn't start coming back to civilization until I threatened you. Until you had something to lose."

He watched me a moment, then looked back outside. "Autumn's coming."
"It does that."

He grunted and didn't speak.

Finally, I asked: "Why did you do it?"
"What?"
"Kill Bernard."

Jack held up his hands. "What else could I do? He killed Raksha's pup. Raksha would have killed him if I hadn't killed him first. Then, she would have been destroyed. Better me than her."

He turned back to the window.

"You could have gotten off completely," I said. "Did you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Was it Warburg's idea?" I looked around the room, the antiseptic white and beige of the walls.

Outside were the guards and the exercise field and the cells. "You can appeal. You can say you were given inadequate counsel. You were given inadequate counsel. That's absolutely true. She should never have taken the deal. You could have been on your way back to Beck-Lewis that afternoon."

"It wasn't Warburg's idea," he said softly. "It was mine. All of this was my fault."

He looked up at me for a long time, shook his head and turned away.

And I understood.

I looked out the window. The weather had become clear and the late summer light had changed character and taken on the soft golden glow of approaching autumn. The air looked cool, a sheath of velvet pleasantly covering a cold knife.

Jack looked outside. In one of those rare and perfect telepathic moments between human beings, I knew what he was seeing.

Through one of the many cams that hovered over the pack, or through the eyes of a tourist, or a naturalist or just somebody who wanted to touch her, was Raksha. Now the center of a hungry and ever growing crowd, the elk gone, the grass trampled, playing as best she can with the now almost grown pups, then joining with the rest of the pack, howling against the coming snow.

"Winters," Jack said at last. "Winters are hard."
© Steven Popkes and SciFi.com

Find it: 85 East 4th Street (just off 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Get info: (212) 505-3360
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BOOKS/WRITERS
Writers Bloc series
Featured columnist: Lissa Warren, senior publicist, Da Capo Press

“Secrets of a Publicist”

Psst. Wanna hear a secret?

Here's the deal: sure, the publicity department is supposed to be pushing your book -- but they're also working on about 50 other releases.

Now what? You have a coffee and flip through the morning paper, fuming to yourself about publicity's utter lack of interest in your latest chef-d'oeuvre. Which is kind of a waste. Because a fantastic opp to publicize your book is right there under your nose (see secret #4).

When I'm working on a book and it just isn't getting coverage, there are certain steps I take, and certain steps I ask my authors to take.

Here are ten of them:

1. Honestly assess your book's media potential.
Has it been done before? Is there lots of competition? While you're at it, assess your own media potential.

Are you regarded as an expert in your field? If yours is a science book, are you a scientist? If yours is a book about medicine, are you a doctor? If yours is a business book, are you a CEO at a big corporation? If not, you're likely to find it hard to get interviews. A writer does not an expert make - unless, of course, it's a book about writing.

Could you be overexposed? Could your topic be overexposed?

If you've written a book about dot-coms or Enron, or a book about boys or mean girls, you're bound to find it a bit of a tough go. But remember, media isn't the only way to make people notice your book.

2. Write an op-ed tied to your book.
When it runs, send it out to all of the broadcast media you've been targeting.

3. Try to get interviewed for something other than your book.
Not having any luck getting the media to talk with you about your title? See if you can interest them in speaking with you about another topic.

For example, if your book focuses on how to lose weight, see if you can get your local paper to do a piece about your award-winning sugar-cookies. Tell them about the irony so that they give a nod to your book.

Or if your book is about your memories of high school football but it's baseball season, try to get a sports radio station to have you on to talk about the joys of high school athletics in general. They'll probably still mention the book in your intro.

4. Go read the newspaper or listen to NPR.
Try to find current events to which you can gear your pitch. If your book is about job-interview techniques and the latest unemployment figures just came out (and have risen), you've got a new hook.

If your book is a guide to Atlanta and it's about to be named a top-ten city, call up USA Today's "Destinations & Diversions" section and ask whether they want to interview you for a sidebar to run alongside the rankings.

5. Look for other books on the same topic as yours.
Two books equal a trend, and reporters love to do trend pieces.

For example, in the spring of 2002, we published a book called “Linked: The New Science of Networks.”
Around the same time, Norton published another book about networks, “Nexus.” By calling this to the attention of science reporters, we were able to get more coverage than we could have gotten with our book alone. Another example: In June of 2002, The "New York Times" ran a big piece about perimenopause that included a bunch of books on the subject along with info on various estrogen supplements.

6. Take a long, hard look at your press material.
Is it too hypey? Does it seem outdated in the light of current events? If it's skewed heavily to one section of your book, could you redo it to skew to another section in which the media might take more interest?

It's also important to get someone else's take on your press material. While it's true that no one knows your book—or you—the way you do, it's important to get feedback that provides outside perspective.

7. Assess whether you're targeting the right kind of media.
Are you going for media that's too highbrow (or lowbrow) for your book?

Are you wasting time trying to get reviews in major-market papers? (If your book is self-help, health, parenting, new-age, or very technical, the answer is probably "yes"; but don't lose heart—those kind of books are great for off-the-book-page coverage.)

Are you focusing on long-lead time magazines after your book is already out? (If so, it's probably too late for them; go for the weekly mags instead.) Be honest with yourself: Do you have the right "sound" for radio? The right "look" for TV?

8. Look for new media outlets to approach, especially in your city.

For instance, have you exhausted the following local affiliates: NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox?

Have you tried the alumni magazine for your college and your grad school? Have you tried your hometown paper for a "local boy makes good" article?

Have you tried all the magazines to which you subscribe? To get more ideas, have you gone to a newsstand?

Have you approached the websites you surf on a regular basis? What about the drive-time shows on your local FM (and AM) stations? (To find them, just go to Google.com and type in the name of your city with the word "radio" next to it.)

9. Evaluate the way you're approaching the media.
Are your emails not getting answered? Try phoning the media instead. Are your phone messages being ignored? Try emailing or faxing.

10. Determine whether you're using all your ammo.
Are you including quotes from your reviews and copies of other coverage? Are they presented in an impressive way (in a folder or in color)?

Does your bio list the shows you've done and the groups for which you've spoken? If you're touring, does it clearly state the venues where you're speaking so that each city's media know there's a local hook?

Any one of these ten steps can help you save your book, and help you get it the attention it deserves.
Like all of the tips in “The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity,” they're meant to encourage you to think like the pros.

Bio: Lissa Warren [http://www.dacapopress.com/] is senior director of publicity at Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Book Group.

About this book: Excerpted from “The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity,” by Lissa Warren. Copyright © 2004 by Lissa Warren and published by Carroll & Graf Publishers, an imprint of the Avalon Publishing Group. Used with permission.

About: The Writers Bloc series is an ongoing column featuring practical advice for writers. Nope, not a support group. Not until someone busts out the tequila, anyway...
=====
BOOKS/WRITERS
The Agent series

Featured columnist: Jenny Bent, Trident Media Group

“First Year Out”

Getting published for the first times is at turns exhilarating, frightening, exciting, nerve-wracking, and sometimes extremely disappointing.

Remember the old saying, "be careful what you wish for?" Having your book published offers much potential for happiness, but also carries the possibility of a fair amount of disappointment.

This article is an attempt to make the experience a happy and rewarding one for first-time authors, by talking you through the process as directly and honestly as possible.


There can be nothing so exciting for a writer as holding your finished book in your hands for the first time.

And while there is no way to comprehend the experience of being published before the actual event, it can helpful to know a little bit about what you're getting into as soon as you get that momentous call from your agent: "We have an offer!"

The following questions and answers are my attempt to prepare you for the joys and the sorrows of being published.

Hopefully, forewarned will become forearmed, and you'll be able to better enjoy the experience if you're prepared for some of the potential pitfalls:

Q: How long will it take before I get an offer for my book?
A: The time it takes to sell a book varies wildly. I have sold books in three days; I have also sold books after a year or even two.

If there is a great deal of enthusiasm for your book, it is possible to make a deal for it right away. And most editors will respond to an agented submission within a month or two. A book can take a few years to sell if you send it out for submission, get no takers the first time around, and decide to revise and resubmit.

Q: How much money can I expect for my book?
A: This is one of those questions that have no real answer. Amounts received can range from zero dollars to over one million dollars.

It’s almost impossible to place a dollar value on a book because the real answer to this question is that the market, meaning the publishers, decides how much money your book is worth.

The more publishers that want to buy your book, the more money it will sell for. If you only have one publisher that wants to buy it, they can often use the lack of competition to get your book for a real bargain.

Q: What is this thing called a book auction?
A: A book auction can take many shapes and forms. The basic premise is that you have more than one publisher who wants to buy your book project. Your agent will then give the houses a date and time by which they need to make their offers.

The auction, which is conducted over the phone, can then proceed round by round, or by best bid offers, or via a variety of other options.

Agents vary in the way they conduct auctions and in the frequency with which they conduct them. Some agents auction every title they sell, and some reserve the auction for only those books for which they anticipate a great deal of interest.

Q: What if I don't think I'm being paid enough money? Do I have to accept the deal my agent brings me?
A: Surprisingly, I am often asked this question. Always remember that you are the one ultimately in control of the situation.

If you don't want to accept an offer, you don't have to. End of story.

Once you've signed a contract, it's a different situation, but at this stage in the game you are still free to walk away from any situation in which you don't feel comfortable.

Remember that writing a book involves a great deal of hard work and energy. If you don't feel you are being fairly compensated, now is the time to walk away - not later when you've already committed to delivering a quality book in a certain amount of time.

Next month:
- Advances/Royalties 101
- North America vs. the world: Rights explained

NB: Lit agent Jenny Bent is providing this information as a courtesy to readers. She is not accepting new work. Unsolicited materials will not be read or returned.
##
Bio: Jenny Bent has ten years of experience working in the publishing industry. She is currently a literary agent with the firm of Trident Media Group, LLC in New York City. Prior to becoming an agent, she worked at "Rolling Stone". She was also an editor at Cader Books, where she was responsible for books on pop culture.

About this series: The Agent is an ongoing series of columns or Q/A sessions with literary agents, providing practical advice for writers.

Subscribe: artesix@sashasoren.com
Read online: http://www.sashasoren.com/newsletter.htm

**************************************
TRAVEL (events worldwide, features, scenes)
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TRAVEL/Road Trips
“The Road is My Home”
by Sasha Mullins

The road is her home: the woman rider is a nomad, an adventurer, a discoverer. She is curious. She is both leader and guide on the journey of life for herself, her friends, and family.

She is an explorer and a pioneer discovering layers of wisdom and talent hidden in the dull recesses of everyday life.

Motorcycle riding piques awareness in the highest state. Rain sounds like an orchestra tumbling notes as drops strike metal, plastic, and rubber.

The sky morphs into a storyboard of cloudy tales.
The terrain communicates with your inner territory to address the empty barren wasteland of a personal canvas awaiting color from the brush of self-renewal.

The urban tangle becomes a mental foray into harnessing one’s focus. The mountain top becomes something not to conquer but to achieve.

The wistful prairie mimics the hypnotic rolling sound of rubber humming along highway. And the asphalt ribbon never ends, leading to whatever, whenever because you are present to the beauty of each moment.

The motorcycle offers an intensifying voyage into joy.

Sexy, powerful, and free describes the woman who rides a motorcycle whether she drives it, passengers, or races. The female gender is powerful in its own right, in its own design and instinct. The female biker is in control because she is aware of her personality, her needs, her womanhood, and especially aware of all that surrounds her.

Often the road that she follows to finally take hold of her destiny is filled with endless potholes, gravel, and uphill climbs, and the motorcycle rides her away from the same old pitted, dark trail and onto her light-filled purposeful path.

The bikerlady is a woman free to be herself, a woman who is sexy because she allows the seduction of the road to awaken all of her senses full throttle. She lives on the edge of her own personality and grabs hold of chance opportunity.

She embraces whatever the winds of change offer that will completely expose and reveal her inner radiance, even if it may tear her apart, because that will shed her old self.

Let’s talk about “sexy.”

Sexy is all your senses fully engaged and alive…It is an awareness that unites your bodily senses, mind, and soul in an orgasmic celebration of spirit. It is sexy because we begin to love and accept ourselves, warts and all.

Engaged in the passion of windy freedom on the road, we experience confidence. That is SEXY. That is power.

The motorcycle. Chrome, steel, rubber. A machine.
But it is more than just a two-wheeled form of transportation.

Everyone who rides has her own reason to love motorcycles, but the seduction of the winding road and motorcycles cannot be explained.

Harley-Davidson coined the phrase, “If I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand.”

Riding a motorcycle takes us away from space and time into a silent abyss of oneself; the spirit is free to be and the mind can’t help but release that which holds it prisoner, be it time constraints, responsibility, adversity, perceptions of others, whatever life experiences keep us from freedom and joy.

Time doesn’t exist. Space is boundless.

Motorcycling allows us to connect with all that surrounds us because we are so vulnerable and completely exposed to our journeys.

We are available to become a character in our own road story. Whatever happens, happens and we both welcome the adventure and become it.

The motorcycle smashes down any barrier dictating what we can and cannot do. It crushes boundaries that cage our identity from free expression and breaks through glass ceilings that keep us from soaring and realizing our dreams.

But why the motorcycle? Why not a car or a bicycle? The reason is that while those vehicles can also produce a free feeling, it’s nothing like being on a motorcycle.

A motorcycle is raw and exposed -- it is a panoramic experience and perspective on life. It can gallop into a small town, a large city or a gas station and invite camaraderie, human interest, and communication.

Hey, roll down all the car windows, but you’ll never escape that steel cocoon or even come close to the rush of wind and freedom you feel when galloping down the road on your steel horse.

On a motorcycle, you glide deep into uphill twists and turns. You’ll never break the same sweat you would pedaling a bicycle, but the unity of flesh and steel at breakneck speed, dipping and soaring, is life transforming.

You get a workout most health and fitness magazines wouldn’t feature: that of the body, mind, and soul united with a chrome horse to simulate a feeling of flying.

Flesh and steel become one. On this journey, one cannot go forth without the other.

Riding for hundreds of miles facing the unpredictable environmental conditions provides somewhat of a physical workout…but the mind, the heart, and soul get the greatest workout.

To cruise the endless ribbons of highway completely exposed to nature’s mood swings...it’s fun, it’s power, it’s sexy, it’s freedom.

Free will. Free to be. And what results from freedom is a banquet of gratitude that emanates from the absolute core of our souls: We are in awe of the riding experience so we thank God, the sky, the earth, the journey, our motorcycles, like an endless highway mantra...

Riding my motorcycle, I move as fast as I can away from the weight of the world and feel every sorrow, worry, insecurity, fear, regret, and shame rip away, like shedding an old skin. The real me is set free.

Nothing remains the same, change is constant and inviting -- the motorcycle is an old friend, familiar with my every move and thought. The motorcycle completes me. It finishes my sentences and answers my questions.

The road introduces us to uncommon experiences that are life transforming. When we ride, we meet people who change our lives. Riding makes you release judgment and suddenly you think, “to each her own.”

There are different types of riders in the motorcycle lifestyle, indeed. The culture is about freedom to be who you are, truly and sincerely that soul shining forth. I respect all riders and wish them well on their journeys.

Motorcycle riding helps us focus on our dreams and goals because it clears our minds and fills us with youthful enthusiasm.

Riding takes us back to childhood. We smell like the outdoors, just like when we were children, running free with our hair all wild and laughing at simply nothing at all. We didn’t care if our faces were dirty then and we don’t care if they’re dirty from miles of road dust. All of this -- the freedom, the play, the wonder, the power of controlling our own -- is the magic of riding a motorcycle.

Oh, the danger of it all. Oftentimes folks will only admire motorcycles from a distance because the machines are vulnerable to highway speeds, to dopey drivers and hapless animals.

But we love that vulnerability! We love the wild road. We love exposing ourselves to the panoramic experience of life on two wheels. Life ain’t a safe warm blanket.

As riders, we love to open our souls to the powerful experience of riding a motorcycle and anticipating the unknown outcome of a journey. When we return from a trip, whether short or long, we have come from visiting that secret place in the wind where self meets soul...

DAY TRIPPIN' WITH SASHA

I’m in the mood. The rising sun and blue heaven outside are inviting me to enjoy an adventure.

But I have work to do. I have errands and chores that have been abandoned all week in favor of more important duties like career, family needs, and miscellaneous urgent matters screaming for my immediate attention.

So much to do. I even set my alarm for a ridiculously early hour on a Saturday morning to get a jump start on the day, but where do I begin?

Deep breath. Let me start by realigning my priorities. I decide to wear my leather chaps to ward off the early chill and take my rain gear just in case.

I need to get the hell out of town.

With my dark Rapunzel-length hair still tousled into a bed head mess, I skip over to the parking garage a few blocks away to get one of my motorcycles. A silly smile rises as I mull over which route to take into the unknown.

I love magical mystery style jaunts, but planning is essential, too. The urban jungle of New York City’s Upper West Side is home for me. In my neighborhood, I am affectionately known as “the motorcycle lady” or “bikerlady.”

I gun the throttle to let traffic know that I’m cutting in and roar away; pure elation seems to lift the machine right off the ground and I feel like I’m hydroplaning from excitement.

An unplanned, free-wheeling jaunt is outrageous fun and a tasty break from an over scheduled lifestyle, but preparation builds confidence and fosters awareness. Preparation gives us freedom to discover and experience with reduced fear.

Whenever I ride, there are basic essentials that I always carry just in case the wanderlust in my gypsy soul decides to extend the day trip into two days or more, and also in case the bike has her moment.

In the left saddlebag is TLC riding stuff for me: rain gear, Ziploc baggies (to keep stuff dry) containing extra panties, socks, lady moon (feminine) supplies, a first aid kit, Wetnaps, travel-size toiletries, sun block, Advil, moisturizer, a little camera, bandannas, a sweatshirt, flip-flops, cut-off shorts, and a black silver scripted baseball cap with “It’s All Good” inscribed on the front and “Biker Chick” on the back.

In the right bag is TLC stuff for the bike: a small tool kit; extra spark plugs, fuses, and bulbs, a tire gauge and patch kit; clear eye glasses; hundred-mile-an-hour tape (a.k.a. duct tape) and electrical tape; bungee cords; a flashlight; extra leather gloves; medical gloves; sandwich baggies (for water leaks in boots or gloves); maps; bike locks; rags; cleaner; and the bike’s mini owner manual.

In my waist satchel: bubble gum, a Swiss army knife, matches, antibacterial hand gel, lipstick, a mirror, earplugs, scented body oil, tissues, super glue, my wallet with ID and bike papers, vitamins, and a cell phone loaded with essential numbers.

It’s both risky and risqué to ride. To be a true free spirit requires a bit of risk management, too. So the maternal instinct springs forth to offer tender loving pre-ride care.

We bikers use the “T-Clock” inspection method to check the mechanical functions: Tires, Controls, Lights and electrics, Oils and fluids, Chassis and chain, Kickstand.

On a Harley, it’s a known fact that you’ve got to check for loose nuts and bolts every time you go for a ride and throughout the day. After I finish my pre-ride inspection, I run upstairs to my apartment to wash away the grease from under my perfectly manicured nails.

I finish my make-up and braid my long, brown hair into one rope laced with colorful bands. Silver Native American jewelry decorates my wrist and fingers.

Then it’s a last-minute check to be sure that I have all I need for today’s great escape. My two favorite leathers (a jacket and a shirt style) get layered atop each other to ward off sunrise chill - now it’s time to head out on the highway and discover today’s escapade.

The northbound West Side Highway delivers me bumping and shimmying all the way along its deeply worn grooves of well-traveled pavement to the George Washington Bridge. Traffic is light and the sun has now stretched its golden rays over the skyline.

Just over the George Washington Bridge, instead of heading southbound to the beach, I swing onto the Palisades Parkway for a gorgeous ride along the Hudson River.

It’s hard to imagine that a few miles north of New York City are daring cliffs that resemble the sheer drops along the Pacific coastline.

Only twenty miles from the bridge and I’m in true suburbia, sailing through the air crisply scented with bouquets of roadside flora. The canopy overhead is a lush late spring green and bursts of yellow, white, orange, and red wildflowers dot the meridian and sway along to the morning breeze. As I cruise along the Palisades, I also notice lots of mowed-down fur. The dirty gym sock smell of fresh road kill that pierces through the otherwise perfumed atmosphere is so rancid that I breathe outward so I don’t get nauseous.

A few months prior, I had hit a deer on my motorcycle but I managed to keep the bike upright. It was a dewy, pretty morning and I was on my way back to the city. I rounded a blind turn on a winding country road and there stood the animal. It dove right into my path.

Oh, I handled the whole thing with sheer grace.
I screamed and swerved slightly away, slamming the frightened animal back onto the side of the road. Animal parts splashed my chaps and bike.

In horror, I rode to the nearest gas station to wash off…Bewildered folks with their powder-dusted donut mouths, sipping coffees, watched as I hosed off my chaps and the bike. My body shook from the flight-or-fight serum that pulsed through my veins. Truth is, anything can try to take you down, on the road and in life. The key is to be prepared and aware.

A quick merge onto I-87 and I’m feeling so carefree that I break into singing Sheryl Crow’s “Everyday is a Winding Road.”

There’s no room for guilt at leaving behind the “have to” chores. Those chores are always going to be there, no matter what; even if I get them all done, they’ll reappear...At the next exit I cut off onto Route 32, a winding road through the Hudson Valley farmlands that will lead me into the middle of New Paltz.

As I gallop along the asphalt, I feel like an iron Godiva commanding the reins of her steel horse as my gloved hands gently operate the controls of the motorcycle. The fringe on my chaps and jacket flutter wildly in the wind. My legs are stretched close alongside the rumbling V-Twin engine to keep warm.

As I gain a mile I gain freedom, I gain my sense of true self, I gain awareness, I gain power. I leave behind the intense everyday rigors and structure necessary to keep it all together in a demanding lifestyle.

Each mile can tear away at another dutiful label placed upon us—identities adopted so that we can interact accordingly in the various worlds that define our roles in life. The wind’s easy elimination process is a reminder of just how lightweight the sticking power of those labels really are.

The winding roads stimulate my creativity as a singer/songwriter. New verses to songs seem to compose themselves with every new mile. The wind and the ride are poetry in motion.

Sometimes I even pull over and dial up my production team and sing the lyrics over the phone to them, and then appear in the studio to lay down the vocals to the music they have created based upon my roadside phone call compositions. That kind of creativity is God in the wind, pure and simple. I would have never known the extent of my creativity had it not been for my motorcycle.

It’s just after lunchtime when I arrive in Woodstock. The town is packed with visitors and the sidewalks are lined with motorcycles of all makes and models.

As soon as I park my Tigerlily, she lures people over for an “oooo” and “ahhhh” fest. She really does exemplify sexy, powerful, freedom and feminine prowess. The town is alive with street entertainment, an outdoor art show, and a musical tribute to the 1960s.

While I stroll through town, friendly hellos are shared between fellow motorcyclists as we recognize each other as moto-passionate individuals.

A large biker stuffed into crisp black leathers embossed with the Harley-Davidson logo everywhere taps me on the shoulder.

“So, where you off to today, lil’ lady?” he asks, watching me through thick-lensed sunglasses.

Next to him is a round, bleach-blond woman with heavy fuchsia lipstick painted upon smiling lips.

“Just cruisin’. And you?” I reply.

“There’s a pig roast over in Saugerties, next town over. It just started. These folks rent out a bunch of cabins and campsites at the KOA. You should come on over with us.”

We make small talk about the riding day and ourselves. It turns out that George is a retired airline pilot and Margie is an environmental attorney. They met at Daytona Bike Week.

And that’s how bikers are, they don’t even know you, but will extend an invitation to join a good time. A definition of how the world ought to be, loving and caring towards one another no matter if you’re strangers. I’m game.

So I follow the giant biker and his sweet girlfriend over to the bikes. Margie’s Yamaha Road Star is painted completely pink with flowers and butterflies.

The inside of her windshield is taped with plastic-wrapped pictures of her grandkids, “her road angels.” Her leathers are beige with red roses. She is one stylin’ motorcycle mama.

George rides an Ultra Touring Classic Harley-Davidson equipped with every modern convenience. They are happily retired from a previously structured existence and are now celebrating life and each other.

We head over to the roast. It’s a five-dollar entry fee. The party is high octane and there’s a small band playing country and western tunes. It’s great.

Bikers come from all walks of life and bond together because of their love for riding and freedom. Children are dangling from swing sets or playing tag among the leather clad and tattooed bikers.

The host is a short fellow dressed in a ragged denim vest covered with ride pins and patches. His nickname is Peanuts. Peanuts and George carve the roasted pig in front of a cheering, hungry crowd. It’s a potluck picnic featuring homemade recipes from several committee bikers that spearhead the party.

I hang around for three hours and in that short time, meet some really uproarious folks through George and Margie. These two road romantics know most of the people there and warmly introduce me as if I’m an immediate family member. We exchange telephone numbers. Again my riding family expands.

They invite me to George’s granddaughter’s birthday party next month. “It’ll be a biker baby birthday bash,” Margie giggles.

Since I want to cruise the back roads toward New York City and get home by nightfall, I say my good-byes and head home.

I love the serenity at dusk. It offers a gentle reflection of the day and serves up excitement for evening festivities. The evening ride is smooth and peaceful as I glide along the highway now. I feel deliciously relaxed as the night air rushes against my face. I’m just sweetly drifting in the wind. The road is so romantic that I almost wish I were riding alongside a fabulous chrome cowboy.

The evening also invites a bug fest and my windshield is getting pelted with all flavors. Although it feels exhilarating to ride without a shield, dead insects are better collected on the screen than on my face.

Many of my friends hate running with a shield, and it’s funny to see what they look like when we stop. Their faces are dotted with bug parts. Of course, I’m usually the one offering up the Wetnaps so they can clean the insect graveyards from their skin.

I’ve put the bandanna that’s tied around my neck over my lips so I don’t get insect goo inside my mouth. Now I look like some outlaw chick on the run from bugs.

I ride over the George Washington Bridge and witness the energy of Manhattan through her skyline lights.

Today, I leaped off the path of everyday rigors and rode away on the path of least resistance. Cobwebs cleared away, I can think clearly now and continue moving forward in my life.

In one day and two hundred fifty miles, the ride brought me peace and an adventure. I met a new riding family, took control of my personal priorities, and let myself get spellbound with freedom and empowerment united as one with my motorcycle and the rapture of the wind. Now, back to life.

About this book: “The Road is My Home” is excerpted from the book “Bikerlady: Living and Riding Free” (Citadel Press), © Sasha Mullins. Used with permission.

About Mullins: Lifelong biker Sasha Mullins is an author, stunt rider, TV host, motojournalist and singer/songwriter. She is the author of the book “Bikerlady: Living and Riding Free”.

Sasha is a popular freelance journalist for several motorcycle publications like “American Iron,” “Harley Davidson’s HOG Tales”, and “Thunder Press”.

She has also appeared in several documentaries about biker life. Recent sightings: TLC’s “Biker Girls: Born to be Wild,” with co-host and professional racer Vicki Gray, and Discovery Channel’s “Motorcycle Women”. Mullins is currently at work on her next book.
Official site: http://www.bikerlady.com
=====
TRAVEL/Paris
Paris-Plage: La vie en beach
When: July 21-August 20

Paris-Plage is back. And this time, they’ve got a pool. Since the goofy idea launched in 2002, amid furious rants by all and sundry, a three-kilometer stretch of beach smack dab in the middle of Paris becomes a beach, for four weeks out of the year.

The battle cry: “Pas d'été sans plage!”

It took 2,000 tons of sand, 300 lounge chairs, assorted parasols and hammocks, hundreds of palm trees and 1.5 million Euros to turn the right bank of the Seine River (between the Pont des Arts and quai Henri IV) into Little St. Tropez, back in 2003.

St. Tropez, incidentally, is 541 miles away from Paris, but all sun-worshippers have to do to catch some beach is hop the metro.

This year, town hall’s got a bigger budget, courtesy of sponsors who got to thinking this was a nifty idea (so true), which means more sand for everyone.

That, and more fresh-water fountains, a circulating library for beach books, watercolor exhibit, climbing wall, volleyball, trampolines, open-air concerts, the addition of a third beach, solarium and huge ringside pool, presumably for the dingbats who kept diving into the Seine River.

Urban “beaches” crop up this summer in Berlin and Budapest, as well.

Find it: Near the Pont Neuf, Pont Henry IV, quai des Tuileries, Hotel de Ville
New “beach” between Pont Notre-Dame and Pont d'Arcole.
Library: quai d'Anjou, between Pont Louis-Philippe and Pont Marie

**************************************
SCI/TECH (news and views)
**************************************
SCI/TECH
Physics

There might be a good reason to go see “The Day After Tomorrow,” but so far, the only reason we can find is this scathingly funny, spot-on movie review, courtesy of the folks at Intuitor.

Stupid movie physics: Intuitor.com [http://www.intuitor.com] reviews “The Day After Tomorrow”

Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is a typical brilliant but tortured scientist who single-handedly figures out that Earth is about to enter an ice age triggered by global warming.

As if this were not burden enough, he's also wracked with guilt over having neglected his teenage son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) and alienated his wife. It seems to be the inescapable fate of one who pursues the demanding life of a climatologist. By contrast, his wife has, apparently, been dedicated to their son. She is a physician and, of course, there are no all-consuming demands there.

As the weather rapidly deteriorates, Sam goes on a trip to New York City and is trapped by a terrifying flood caused by a massive climate-altering storm. All cell phone service is out and so he calls home on a miraculous water-proof pay phone, which only costs a quarter for a long distance call and connects perfectly. Apparently New Yorkers are so used to the cells that it never occurs to them to jam the land lines with panicky calls for help.

Meanwhile, Jack has run a computer simulation which has forecast the impending weather in New York with almost mystical accuracy. He urgently instructs Sam to stay inside and wait out the storm or he'll be frozen to the sidewalk. Jack concludes the conversation by promising Sam he'll come for him, never mind that Jack is in Washington DC around 204 miles (328 km) away and the roads are all but impassable due to blizzard conditions.

Okay, maybe we're overly skeptical about Jack's computer simulation. After all, it is based on infallible ice core samples, but there's a reason for doubt. It's called the butterfly effect and is part of chaos theory. Edward Lorenz discovered this effect in the 1960s while using early computers to model weather...
[Read full article: http://www.intuitor.com/physics]
© Intuitor.com. Used with permission.

**************************************
LIFE (stranger than fiction/life, the universe
and everything…)
**************************************
LIFE
Red+Black: Subversive’s social calendar

The evil geniuses behind the “Tekken Torture Tournament” (DIY electric shock S&M for gamers – a modified Playstation converted onscreen virtual damage into non-lethal electric shocks. Ow?) and 3D multiplayer game series “Endgames,” (based on chaos theory/alternative utopias/changes in critical apocalyptic events) are having a little
get-together. Hang out and talk architecture, psychology, neurophysiology, design, entertainment, and life, and catch up on recent performance/installation projects.

The Los Angeles Art and Technology Hacker Club is a come-as-you-are (or as someone else) group formed for people interested in doing weird, cool things with electronics. The group meets at 7pm monthly at irregular intervals, at c-level, in Chinatown/Los Angeles. Next meet: July 3

Directions to c-level:

1. Find yourself in front of "FULL HOUSE RESTAURANT" located at 963
N. Hill Street in Chinatown.
2. Locate the alley on the left hand side of Full House.
3. Walk about 20 feet down the alley (away from the street).
4. Stop.
5. Notice dumpster on your right hand side.
6. Take a right and continue down the alley.
7. Exercise caution so as not trip on the wobbly cement blocks underfoot.
8. The entrance to C-Level is located 10 yards down on left side, behind
a red door, and down a black staircase.

Don’t tell them we sent you.
=====
LIFE
Alles klar on mad kings

King Ludwig II, a.k.a. the Swan King, the Dream King and the Mad King of Bavaria, built more than his fair share of castles, and some of Bavaria's most famous ones, including Neuschwanstein.

Some people simply have that itch that can't be scratched. Some wash their hands repeatedly; others are constantly checking if the stove's turned off; or they eat lunch at precisely the same time every day.

Fewer feel compelled to build huge palaces over and over again. But Ludwig did.

But why?

German psychologist Professor Heinz Häfner, founder of the Central Institute for Mental Health in Mannheim, thinks he has the answer: compulsive palace-building syndrome.

Careful. That might be going around.

[Source: Deutsche Welles]
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LIFE
More cloak and dagger

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard about the mad scientist and his [http://www.star.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp] ‘invisibility cloak’?
Doubtful. That kind of thing gets around.

(Imagine you’re a mad scientist who just hit the jackpot. You have this hot optical camouflage garment. After the first few hours, you’d be just itching to pop up in some friend’s house, just so
you could say: “Look at me! I’m invisible!”)

However, we’re going to jot it down here, anyway, so we can remember the story in a year or two and go look him up to see if he’s made any progress.

If we can find him.

**************************************
UPCOMING: “Arte Six”/August 2004: Fantasy world-building v1.1, Hollywood stunts, the Philly lunatic fringe, and the fine art of poisoning.
**************************************
DISTRIBUTION: To encourage the free exchange of information, “Arte Six” contents are free use with the following courtesy conditions:
Kindly include the line “courtesy of Arte Six” as well as the URL (http://www.sashasoren.com/newsletter.htm) when reprinting material, so people can come back and find us. And give us more news to tell you about.
And, of course, fully source any third-party content.
They passed it on so we could pass it on.
So pass it on.
But give them creds where due. Karma first, baby.
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