Through the character of Bane (Tom Hardy), Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” consternates audiences with one of the evilest villains in recent film history, second perhaps only to Anthony Hopkins’ cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter. Bane, at least, is content to merely terrorize and kill his victims.
Throughout the course of the film, we get to know Bane and his repulsive ilk, with the final third of the film bringing everything together in a mighty fusion of plot, philosophy and special effects. Until then, however, we are faced with a rather confusing mix of foreboding, disparate elements.
Mumbling and slurred accents often render “ the dialogue indiscernible, as Hans Zimmer’s deafening, raucous score adds to the confusion, competing for our ears’ attention. When the fog finally lifts, though, this is one heck of a superhero yarn.
Such an ambitious storyline demands a complex web of details, as well as commercial considerations that pay the rent. Still, filmmaker Nolan, who co-wrote and directed “Memento” (2000), has proved that he is capable of far more concise, sophisticated storytelling. Some artistic restraint, a general tightening of the storyline, could have gone a long way in making this a great movie instead of just a good one. As any decent stage director will attest, one must watch from the heights of the cheapest seats to ascertain that everything is being communicated to the audience. That’s assuming you don’t want the lines muffled and aren’t looking to induce sensory deprivation. Surely a deft hand in the editing room, where dubbing and a judicious manipulation of volume control can do wonders, would exponentially enhance the film’s production value.
Said technical shortcomings enumerated, it behooves to note a fine cast, especially Tom Hardy as the vile Bane. If sheer evil-doing could affect a movie’s rating, this PG-13 film would surely have been R-rated. Luckily, Christian Bale is able to counter Bane’s wickedness, evincing a very capable, if worrisomely reluctant, champion.
Supporting these dipoles, Gary Oldman plays a great Commissioner Gordon; alluring Anne Hathaway is as exotically capricious as Selina Kyle’s original Catwoman; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is award-worthy as Blake, a no-doubt-about-it good cop. And, of course, Alfred, the family retainer no hero can do without, is played by the venerable Michael Caine.
The epic “The Dark Knight Rises” is told through a revolving exposition of characters, each taking a turn on the script’s psychiatrist couch, wherein tales of abuse, misuse and all manner of base cruelty are plaintively divulged. Reaching a cataclysmic pitch, the disquiet finally manifests in a politically astute monograph detailing the siege of a city. Shades of Nazi occupation during World War II, most of
Gotham is crippled with desperation, guilt, doubt and fear. Even the federal authorities, blackmailed by the invaders, have their hands tied. And just to further obfuscate matters, the fatalistic cloud that hangs heavy over the metropolis makes it near impossible to tell the good guys from the bad.
Meanwhile, back at Wayne Manor, where Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne has essentially retired his Batman attire in mothballs, the title character suffers his own grief — an emotional funk as only a true superhero can experience it. To rise above personal demons and save the day, or not? That is the question.
It doesn’t get much bleaker than this. Intentionally or not, director Nolan has brought all the apocalyptic doom and gloom of an Albrecht Dürer engraving to the silver screen, replete with just about every existential enigma in the book. Thus, the film works on two levels — as a surface, adventure saga, and as an esoteric, medieval exploration of the questions of human existence.
I’d be interested to hear what a panel of Harvard sociologists and theologians might make of this attempt to pick apart the darkness of humanity. What would really be great is if the director answered, at least in part, his Delphic inquiry. But alas, we won’t be finding out the meaning of life here.
In the end, the film turns conventional, and we’re left merely taking another dip into the Batman legacy, getting a hint of the future in the bargain. Well, at least there is a future. That’s something. And so is this — a mainstream film that plays like a Wagnerian opera. Viewers seeking their fill of Sturm und Drang will find that “The Dark Knight Rises” to the occasion.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Quetta blast: allied, opp senators walk out in protest
* Haidri says terrorist activities could be reaction over NATO supply’s restoration
* PML-N senator says govt failed to protect people’s lives, property
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Senate, on the second consecutive day on Friday, witnessed a walkout by the Awami National Party, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-Quaid, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement senators over the attacks in Bajaur Agency, bomb blast in Quetta and the law and order situation in the country.
On a point of order, Awami National Party senator from Balochistan, Daud Achakzai, said early on Friday, a bomb blast in Quetta’s Kuchlak area killed eight people, including their party’s office-bearers. The blast occurred at a political rally organised by the ANP, he added. He claimed that the ANP believed on principle of non-violence but regretted that some militants were targeting their party members across the country. He demanded the House that a complete report into the incident should be presented and the culprits should be meted out exemplary punishment.
Another ANP senator, Zahid Khan, said his party workers were constantly being targeted by terrorists. He said he ANP had sacrificed over 650 workers, and demanded the Ministry of Interior respond to the House over the situation within two days. All senators from the ANP and the JUI-F walked out over the tragic incident.
JUI-F Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri was of the view that killings of seven Pakistan Army personnel in Gujrat, prison staff in Lahore, and Quetta bomb blast at an ANP rally could all be related to government policy. The government has restored NATO supply routes and it was a possibility that militants were carrying out these attacks as a reaction. The country is passing through a critical situation and all political parties should sit together and make sincere efforts to resolve these issues and avoid killings of innocent people.
FATA Senator Hidayatullah informed the House that on Thursday some militants from Afghanistan entered Bajaur Agency and killed about 40 to 50 people. The militants remained there for a long time. He also regretted that 24 hours had passed since the incident, but the government had failed to take any measures to stop such attacks in the future. Saying this, he walked out of the House lamenting the government’s negligence.
MQM Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi termed the bomb attack in Quetta a cowardly act, and held responsible the Balochistan government for failing to provide security to the rally. He demanded judicial inquiry into the incident. He also condemned the Bajaur Agency incidents. In a sign of solidarity with the ANP, the MQM senator also joined the protest and walked out.
PML-N Senator Hamza told the House that Lahore, Bajaur and Quetta incidents were failure on the part of the government. The federal government should focus on such issues, he added. PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed was of the view that the government should chalk out a comprehensive strategy over cross-border terrorism so as to stop such types of events in the future.
Opposition leader in the Senate Ishaq Dar, speaking on the occasion, condemned both the Lahore and Quetta incidents. He said the Punjab government had informed him that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prison staff was getting training from National Jail Authority, which was run by the federal government in Lahore. The institute was headed by a KP official. He said a joint investigation team had been formed to probe the incident.
However, it will be better if the Interior Ministry briefed the House on the Lahore incidents. Later, showing solidarity with the affectees of the ANP and Bajaur incidents, the PML-N also joined the protest and walked out of the House.
State Minister for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich assured the House that Interior Ministry would provide a detailed report on the Quetta incident within three days.
* PML-N senator says govt failed to protect people’s lives, property
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Senate, on the second consecutive day on Friday, witnessed a walkout by the Awami National Party, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-Quaid, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement senators over the attacks in Bajaur Agency, bomb blast in Quetta and the law and order situation in the country.
On a point of order, Awami National Party senator from Balochistan, Daud Achakzai, said early on Friday, a bomb blast in Quetta’s Kuchlak area killed eight people, including their party’s office-bearers. The blast occurred at a political rally organised by the ANP, he added. He claimed that the ANP believed on principle of non-violence but regretted that some militants were targeting their party members across the country. He demanded the House that a complete report into the incident should be presented and the culprits should be meted out exemplary punishment.
Another ANP senator, Zahid Khan, said his party workers were constantly being targeted by terrorists. He said he ANP had sacrificed over 650 workers, and demanded the Ministry of Interior respond to the House over the situation within two days. All senators from the ANP and the JUI-F walked out over the tragic incident.
JUI-F Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri was of the view that killings of seven Pakistan Army personnel in Gujrat, prison staff in Lahore, and Quetta bomb blast at an ANP rally could all be related to government policy. The government has restored NATO supply routes and it was a possibility that militants were carrying out these attacks as a reaction. The country is passing through a critical situation and all political parties should sit together and make sincere efforts to resolve these issues and avoid killings of innocent people.
FATA Senator Hidayatullah informed the House that on Thursday some militants from Afghanistan entered Bajaur Agency and killed about 40 to 50 people. The militants remained there for a long time. He also regretted that 24 hours had passed since the incident, but the government had failed to take any measures to stop such attacks in the future. Saying this, he walked out of the House lamenting the government’s negligence.
MQM Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi termed the bomb attack in Quetta a cowardly act, and held responsible the Balochistan government for failing to provide security to the rally. He demanded judicial inquiry into the incident. He also condemned the Bajaur Agency incidents. In a sign of solidarity with the ANP, the MQM senator also joined the protest and walked out.
PML-N Senator Hamza told the House that Lahore, Bajaur and Quetta incidents were failure on the part of the government. The federal government should focus on such issues, he added. PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed was of the view that the government should chalk out a comprehensive strategy over cross-border terrorism so as to stop such types of events in the future.
Opposition leader in the Senate Ishaq Dar, speaking on the occasion, condemned both the Lahore and Quetta incidents. He said the Punjab government had informed him that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prison staff was getting training from National Jail Authority, which was run by the federal government in Lahore. The institute was headed by a KP official. He said a joint investigation team had been formed to probe the incident.
However, it will be better if the Interior Ministry briefed the House on the Lahore incidents. Later, showing solidarity with the affectees of the ANP and Bajaur incidents, the PML-N also joined the protest and walked out of the House.
State Minister for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich assured the House that Interior Ministry would provide a detailed report on the Quetta incident within three days.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Opposition: Hundreds of Civilians Massacred in Syrian Village
Syrian opposition activists say government forces have massacred more than 200 people, mostly civilians, inside a village in Hama province.
The activists and witnesses say troops shelled the village of Treimsa with tanks and helicopters before storming the area.
State-run Syrian media say troops battled an armed group in the area and, as in previous mass killings, blamed the massacre on those it calls terrorists.
Thursday's reported massacre comes as the United Nations Security Council debates imposing tough new sanctions on the Syrian government if it keeps attacking the opposition and civilians with heavy weapons.
The Western-backed resolution also leaves the door open to possible military intervention. But Russia is threatening to veto the resolution. It wants to simply extend the mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Syria for another three months.
Moscow has been one of Syria's closest allies and has vetoed previous U.N. action.
The Syrian ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, who has defected to join the opposition, is urging Syrian soldiers to join him. He says there is no honor in killing one's own people.
Fares is the highest-ranking Syrian official to switch sides since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 16 months ago.
The activists and witnesses say troops shelled the village of Treimsa with tanks and helicopters before storming the area.
State-run Syrian media say troops battled an armed group in the area and, as in previous mass killings, blamed the massacre on those it calls terrorists.
Thursday's reported massacre comes as the United Nations Security Council debates imposing tough new sanctions on the Syrian government if it keeps attacking the opposition and civilians with heavy weapons.
The Western-backed resolution also leaves the door open to possible military intervention. But Russia is threatening to veto the resolution. It wants to simply extend the mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Syria for another three months.
Moscow has been one of Syria's closest allies and has vetoed previous U.N. action.
The Syrian ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, who has defected to join the opposition, is urging Syrian soldiers to join him. He says there is no honor in killing one's own people.
Fares is the highest-ranking Syrian official to switch sides since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 16 months ago.
Mosquitoes test positive for EEE in Easton, Mass.
Two of those are the kind of mosquitoes which bite humans. Although no human cases have been reported, health officials say it is early in the season for EEE. It typically shows up later in July.
"There is a reason for concern. But, as I say, it’s only from one trap in one site. So far, all of the other sites are negative this far. But there is active surveillance going on right now," said Dr. Al DeMaria of the Department of Public Health.
Erik Wing knows how serious one mosquito bite can be. His 5-year-old daughter Adreanna was bitten in Halifax, Mass. in late August of 2005.
"Right at the beginning of September, we were burying her on what would have been her first day of school. It was tough," Wing said Wednesday. "It took a total of eight days from the time she got bitten to the time we had to pull the plug."
Wing would like to see more proactive spraying. State officials do say spraying could be an option now that the alert level has been raised to high in Easton, Raynham and Taunton.
Officials urge people take their own precautions, including wearing bug spray and long sleeves when possible.
"There is a reason for concern. But, as I say, it’s only from one trap in one site. So far, all of the other sites are negative this far. But there is active surveillance going on right now," said Dr. Al DeMaria of the Department of Public Health.
Erik Wing knows how serious one mosquito bite can be. His 5-year-old daughter Adreanna was bitten in Halifax, Mass. in late August of 2005.
"Right at the beginning of September, we were burying her on what would have been her first day of school. It was tough," Wing said Wednesday. "It took a total of eight days from the time she got bitten to the time we had to pull the plug."
Wing would like to see more proactive spraying. State officials do say spraying could be an option now that the alert level has been raised to high in Easton, Raynham and Taunton.
Officials urge people take their own precautions, including wearing bug spray and long sleeves when possible.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
In Bear Attack, Hunter Killed Hunter, Autopsy Shows
It turns out that the hunter in Idaho who the authorities thought was killed by a wounded grizzly bear was actually shot by his young hunting companion, who was trying to kill the bear, an autopsy has revealed.
Steve Stevenson, 39, died on Sept. 16 when he was shot in the chest once by his 20-year-old hunting companion, Ty Bell, officials said. The two men, both from Winnemucca, Nev., were tracking a grizzly bear they had wounded in rugged country on the Idaho-Montana border, thinking it was a black bear, the surviving hunter said.
After they shot it, they waited for a short time for the bear to die, and then went into thick forest to find it, the survivor said.
As the two men looked for the 400-pound bear, it charged them, and both hunters raised their rifles as it came toward them, Mr. Bell recounted. “They both shot it, and it kept coming,” Mr. Stevenson’s mother, Janet Price, told the Associated Press.
Mr. Stevenson, a miner, called out to divert the bear from attacking Mr. Bell, and it turned toward him instead, Mr. Bell has said. As the bear mauled Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Bell recounted, he shot it several more times and killed it.
One of those shots, however, also hit Mr. Stevenson in the chest and killed him, according to a medical examiner at the Montana State Crime Lab. In addition to the gunshot, there were bite marks on Mr. Stevenson’s leg.
The shooting of Mr. Stevenson remains under investigation by the Lincoln County attorney, and the killing of the grizzly bear, an endangered species, is still under investigation by the federal authorities.
Steve Stevenson, 39, died on Sept. 16 when he was shot in the chest once by his 20-year-old hunting companion, Ty Bell, officials said. The two men, both from Winnemucca, Nev., were tracking a grizzly bear they had wounded in rugged country on the Idaho-Montana border, thinking it was a black bear, the surviving hunter said.
After they shot it, they waited for a short time for the bear to die, and then went into thick forest to find it, the survivor said.
As the two men looked for the 400-pound bear, it charged them, and both hunters raised their rifles as it came toward them, Mr. Bell recounted. “They both shot it, and it kept coming,” Mr. Stevenson’s mother, Janet Price, told the Associated Press.
Mr. Stevenson, a miner, called out to divert the bear from attacking Mr. Bell, and it turned toward him instead, Mr. Bell has said. As the bear mauled Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Bell recounted, he shot it several more times and killed it.
One of those shots, however, also hit Mr. Stevenson in the chest and killed him, according to a medical examiner at the Montana State Crime Lab. In addition to the gunshot, there were bite marks on Mr. Stevenson’s leg.
The shooting of Mr. Stevenson remains under investigation by the Lincoln County attorney, and the killing of the grizzly bear, an endangered species, is still under investigation by the federal authorities.
Obama renews call for holding down middle-class tax rates
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama revitalized his push for holding down middle-
class tax rates Monday, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the Bush-era
tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000 a year.
In a White House statement delivered while people described as working Americans stood
behind him, Obama said his proposal would provide the certainty of no tax increase next
year for 98% of Americans.
Noting that Republicans seek to maintain all of the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003,
Obama said both sides therefore agree on extending the lower rates for middle-class
families.
"Let's agree to do what we agree on, right?" Obama said to laughter and applause in the
East Room. "That's what compromise is all about."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, indicated he would schedule a Senate vote on
Obama's proposal, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said the chamber
would vote later this month on a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday that Obama would veto the House
version if it reached his desk.
Facing a tough re-election fight against certain Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the
Obama campaign seeks to frame the contest as a debate between the president's goal of
restoring middle-class opportunity versus GOP policies that it says would primarily benefit
corporations and wealthy Americans.
Opinion: Class warfare discussion is essential
Obama and other Democrats said Monday that Republicans would have to decide if protecting
wealthy Americans from a tax increase was worth holding "hostage" the extension of middle-
class tax cuts.
A Romney campaign official criticized Obama's announcement as more bad policy from the
presiWashington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama revitalized his push for holding down
middle-class tax rates Monday, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the
Bush-era tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000 a year.
In a White House statement delivered while people described as working Americans stood
behind him, Obama said his proposal would provide the certainty of no tax increase next
year for 98% of Americans.
Noting that Republicans seek to maintain all of the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003,
Obama said both sides therefore agree on extending the lower rates for middle-class
families.
"Let's agree to do what we agree on, right?" Obama said to laughter and applause in the
East Room. "That's what compromise is all about."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, indicated he would schedule a Senate vote on
Obama's proposal, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said the chamber
would vote later this month on a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday that Obama would veto the House
version if it reached his desk.
Facing a tough re-election fight against certain Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the
Obama campaign seeks to frame the contest as a debate between the president's goal of
restoring middle-class opportunity versus GOP policies that it says would primarily benefit
corporations and wealthy Americans.
Opinion: Class warfare discussion is essential
Obama and other Democrats said Monday that Republicans would have to decide if protecting
wealthy Americans from a tax increase was worth holding "hostage" the extension of middle-
class tax cuts.
A Romney campaign official criticized Obama's announcement as more bad policy from the
president in the wake of the latest disappointing jobs report.
"President Obama's response to even more bad economic news is a massive tax increase," said
Andrea Saul, the Romney campaign's spokeswoman. "It just proves again that the president
doesn't have a clue how to get America working again and help the middle class."
Unlike Obama, Saul continued, Romney "understands that the last thing we need to do in this
economy is raise taxes on anyone."
Republicans also complained that Obama's plan would raise taxes on more than 900,000 small
-business owners who report their income in individual returns as so-called flow-through
enterprises.
"The proposed tax increase on 53% of all flow-through business income would be especially
harmful to small businesses," said a statement by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a leading
conservative.
Obama, however, said that under his proposal, 97% of the nation's small business owners
would benefit from having their lower tax rates maintained at current levels.
"This isn't about taxing job creators," Obama said. "This is about helping job creators."
Carney also took exception to the GOP argument, saying that the small-business people
Republicans sought to protect from higher taxes included "partners in law firms or hedge-
fund managers."
"They're not the kind of small businesses that you and I tend to think of when we talk
about small businesses," Carney said.
Monday's statement was part of a new presidential push on the tax issue following the weak
June jobs report that came out Friday. Congress is returning from it's weeklong
Independence Day break on Monday.
An Obama campaign official said his re-election team will "amplify the president's message
on middle-class tax cuts" by hosting a series of events this week in battleground states.
In Las Vegas, for example, local elected officials will discuss Obama's efforts to fight
for the middle class, the campaign official said. In Colorado, Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland,
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio and state Sen. Gail Schwartz will hold a news
conference to discuss the contrasting economic visions of Obama and Romney.
Obama signed a bill in 2010 to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts until the end of 2012,
citing the need for economic stimulus at the time. He has since vowed he would not permit
another extension of the lower tax rates for wealthy Americans.
His proposal Monday would maintain the current lower tax rates for families making up to
$250,000 for another year while allowing tax rates to return to 1990s levels for those
earning more.
The president sounded major themes of his re-election campaign, saying his goal was
"putting people back to work but also rebuilding an economy where that work pays off."
He blamed a political stalemate in Congress for the failure to take decisive steps toward
addressing rising deficits and other economic issues, saying he and Democrats disagreed
with what he called "top down" policies of Republicans who favor tax cuts for the
wealthiest Americans.
"I believe our prosperity has always come from an economy that's built on a strong and
growing middle class," Obama said, noting that he has cut middle class taxes as president.
"... So that's why I believe it's time to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,
folks like myself, to expire."
Extend the tax cuts for the middle class now, the president said, and then let the result
of the November election decide the debate on broader tax reform, including how much the
wealthy should pay
On Sunday, top Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs told CNN that the president was "100%
committed" to ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.
The tax breaks are set to expire in what has become known as the "fiscal cliff," a package
of spending cuts and the removal of tax breaks that will take place on January 1 if
Congress fails to act. In total, they could add up to $7 trillion.
Tax breaks that would end include the Bush tax cuts, middle-class protection from the
Alternative Minimum Tax and more than 50 "temporary" tax breaks for individuals and
businesses that have been on the books for years.
Should the rich pay more taxes? Share your thoughts in the iReport Debate
Obama also has backed the so-called Buffett Rule, named after billionaire investor Warren
Buffett, which would impose a minimum 30% tax rate on those making more than $1 million.
The measure was blocked by Senate Republicans in April.
Republicans say the solution to the country's deficit problems should focus on shrinking
the size of government, rather than raising taxes on anyone.
"In the wake of another weak jobs report, the president is doubling down on his quixotic
call for the same small businesses tax hikes that have been routinely rejected by the House
and Senate," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement Monday. "How will
these small business tax hikes create jobs?"
class tax rates Monday, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the Bush-era
tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000 a year.
In a White House statement delivered while people described as working Americans stood
behind him, Obama said his proposal would provide the certainty of no tax increase next
year for 98% of Americans.
Noting that Republicans seek to maintain all of the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003,
Obama said both sides therefore agree on extending the lower rates for middle-class
families.
"Let's agree to do what we agree on, right?" Obama said to laughter and applause in the
East Room. "That's what compromise is all about."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, indicated he would schedule a Senate vote on
Obama's proposal, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said the chamber
would vote later this month on a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday that Obama would veto the House
version if it reached his desk.
Facing a tough re-election fight against certain Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the
Obama campaign seeks to frame the contest as a debate between the president's goal of
restoring middle-class opportunity versus GOP policies that it says would primarily benefit
corporations and wealthy Americans.
Opinion: Class warfare discussion is essential
Obama and other Democrats said Monday that Republicans would have to decide if protecting
wealthy Americans from a tax increase was worth holding "hostage" the extension of middle-
class tax cuts.
A Romney campaign official criticized Obama's announcement as more bad policy from the
presiWashington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama revitalized his push for holding down
middle-class tax rates Monday, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the
Bush-era tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000 a year.
In a White House statement delivered while people described as working Americans stood
behind him, Obama said his proposal would provide the certainty of no tax increase next
year for 98% of Americans.
Noting that Republicans seek to maintain all of the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003,
Obama said both sides therefore agree on extending the lower rates for middle-class
families.
"Let's agree to do what we agree on, right?" Obama said to laughter and applause in the
East Room. "That's what compromise is all about."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, indicated he would schedule a Senate vote on
Obama's proposal, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said the chamber
would vote later this month on a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday that Obama would veto the House
version if it reached his desk.
Facing a tough re-election fight against certain Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the
Obama campaign seeks to frame the contest as a debate between the president's goal of
restoring middle-class opportunity versus GOP policies that it says would primarily benefit
corporations and wealthy Americans.
Opinion: Class warfare discussion is essential
Obama and other Democrats said Monday that Republicans would have to decide if protecting
wealthy Americans from a tax increase was worth holding "hostage" the extension of middle-
class tax cuts.
A Romney campaign official criticized Obama's announcement as more bad policy from the
president in the wake of the latest disappointing jobs report.
"President Obama's response to even more bad economic news is a massive tax increase," said
Andrea Saul, the Romney campaign's spokeswoman. "It just proves again that the president
doesn't have a clue how to get America working again and help the middle class."
Unlike Obama, Saul continued, Romney "understands that the last thing we need to do in this
economy is raise taxes on anyone."
Republicans also complained that Obama's plan would raise taxes on more than 900,000 small
-business owners who report their income in individual returns as so-called flow-through
enterprises.
"The proposed tax increase on 53% of all flow-through business income would be especially
harmful to small businesses," said a statement by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a leading
conservative.
Obama, however, said that under his proposal, 97% of the nation's small business owners
would benefit from having their lower tax rates maintained at current levels.
"This isn't about taxing job creators," Obama said. "This is about helping job creators."
Carney also took exception to the GOP argument, saying that the small-business people
Republicans sought to protect from higher taxes included "partners in law firms or hedge-
fund managers."
"They're not the kind of small businesses that you and I tend to think of when we talk
about small businesses," Carney said.
Monday's statement was part of a new presidential push on the tax issue following the weak
June jobs report that came out Friday. Congress is returning from it's weeklong
Independence Day break on Monday.
An Obama campaign official said his re-election team will "amplify the president's message
on middle-class tax cuts" by hosting a series of events this week in battleground states.
In Las Vegas, for example, local elected officials will discuss Obama's efforts to fight
for the middle class, the campaign official said. In Colorado, Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland,
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio and state Sen. Gail Schwartz will hold a news
conference to discuss the contrasting economic visions of Obama and Romney.
Obama signed a bill in 2010 to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts until the end of 2012,
citing the need for economic stimulus at the time. He has since vowed he would not permit
another extension of the lower tax rates for wealthy Americans.
His proposal Monday would maintain the current lower tax rates for families making up to
$250,000 for another year while allowing tax rates to return to 1990s levels for those
earning more.
The president sounded major themes of his re-election campaign, saying his goal was
"putting people back to work but also rebuilding an economy where that work pays off."
He blamed a political stalemate in Congress for the failure to take decisive steps toward
addressing rising deficits and other economic issues, saying he and Democrats disagreed
with what he called "top down" policies of Republicans who favor tax cuts for the
wealthiest Americans.
"I believe our prosperity has always come from an economy that's built on a strong and
growing middle class," Obama said, noting that he has cut middle class taxes as president.
"... So that's why I believe it's time to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,
folks like myself, to expire."
Extend the tax cuts for the middle class now, the president said, and then let the result
of the November election decide the debate on broader tax reform, including how much the
wealthy should pay
On Sunday, top Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs told CNN that the president was "100%
committed" to ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.
The tax breaks are set to expire in what has become known as the "fiscal cliff," a package
of spending cuts and the removal of tax breaks that will take place on January 1 if
Congress fails to act. In total, they could add up to $7 trillion.
Tax breaks that would end include the Bush tax cuts, middle-class protection from the
Alternative Minimum Tax and more than 50 "temporary" tax breaks for individuals and
businesses that have been on the books for years.
Should the rich pay more taxes? Share your thoughts in the iReport Debate
Obama also has backed the so-called Buffett Rule, named after billionaire investor Warren
Buffett, which would impose a minimum 30% tax rate on those making more than $1 million.
The measure was blocked by Senate Republicans in April.
Republicans say the solution to the country's deficit problems should focus on shrinking
the size of government, rather than raising taxes on anyone.
"In the wake of another weak jobs report, the president is doubling down on his quixotic
call for the same small businesses tax hikes that have been routinely rejected by the House
and Senate," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement Monday. "How will
these small business tax hikes create jobs?"
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Lucrative Business of Fake, Life-Size Dinosaurs
Last month, Guy Gsell had one of the happiest experiences of his life. From the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building, he dropped 50¢ into the coin-operated binoculars; trained them west toward Snake Hill, a 200-million-year-old volcanic outcrop in Secaucus, N.J.; and saw the world’s largest animatronic dinosaur.
“This guy is so big, he just filled the binoculars,” says Gsell, referring to the 90-foot-long, yellow-skinned herbivore called Argentinosaurus. “Even if I didn’t own the dinosaur, I would think it was the coolest thing I ever saw.”
A bespectacled 51-year-old in a tweed sport coat, blue jeans, and silk dinosaur tie, Gsell is the founder and executive producer of Field Station: Dinosaurs, a 20-acre outdoor educational theme park in Secaucus (tagline: “9 minutes from Manhattan, 90 million years back in time”), which officially opened to the public this year during Memorial Day weekend. While animatronic dinosaur exhibits are popular in the U.S., Field Station is the first theme park dedicated entirely to them. It’s home to the record-setting Argentinosaurus, a motion-sensoring Tyrannosaurus rex that reacts to visitors, 29 other mechanized prehistoric beasts, and four human-operated dino puppets.
The attraction cost $2.5 million to get up and running—not including the cost of the life-size dinosaurs themselves, which Gsell says he’s not at liberty to disclose. The reptiles—molded foam rubber with steel skeletons—were custom designed by China’s Zigong Jade Bamboo Culture Development and move courtesy of KumoTek Robotics of Richardson, Tex. Erth, an Australian company, created the puppets. The exhibit, which targets kids ages 3 to 11, has partnered with the New Jersey State Museum to develop its educational programming, along with five corporate sponsors, including Lego and Crayola.
The park is modeled to resemble a fictional scientific expedition, and visitors encounter and study a few dozen dinosaurs along the way. Sound familiar? “The difference between Field Station: Dinosaurs and Jurassic Park is, of course, that my dinosaurs are guaranteed not to attack and eat anyone,” Gsell says.
As the founding director of Discovery Times Square—a large exhibit space in midtown Manhattan that has recently hosted popular traveling attractions such as the King Tut show and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition—Gsell was approached on numerous occasions by people who wanted to show their animatronic dinosaurs. A lifelong dino-enthusiast, Gsell loved the idea, but the lighthearted nature of “big rubber dinosaurs” didn’t fit with what he calls Discovery’s “more highbrow” mission. (Also, they didn’t fit inside the space.) In November 2010, he lined up an angel investor, checked out the abandoned quarry at the base of Snake Hill (property he would lease from the county), and took a huge risk. “By Thanksgiving, I had quit my job and gone into the dinosaur business,” he says.
It would appear to be a wise investment, because evidence suggests the fake-dinosaur business is booming. Walking With Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, a globe-trotting $19 million stage show featuring a cast of 20 ambulatory dinosaur figures, grossed $104.1 million in worldwide box office in 2010, earning it the No. 7 spot (just beating out Paul McCartney) on concert-industry trade magazine Pollstar’s yearend list of the world’s top tours.
Temporary animatronic dinosaur exhibits have proved a valuable add-on for science centers, theme parks, and zoos. They average roughly a 30 percent “capture rate,” meaning that nearly a third of attendees at the main park will visit the dinosaurs, according to Jennifer Chow, business development director for the British Columbia-based show, Dinosaurs Unearthed. The Detroit Zoo, for instance, reports that its 2011 Dinosauria exhibit (featuring animatronics provided by another company) drew in roughly 28 percent of its visitors at an additional cost of $4 per patron between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The zoo credits its 2011 year-on-year attendance increase—up 6 percent, to nearly 1.2 million visitors—in large part to Dinosauria. Chow says her company might charge anywhere from $300,000 to more than $500,000 for a six-month indoor exhibit housing 15 to 20 dinosaurs.
During the soft launch of Field Station: Dinosaurs this May, the grounds were teeming with smiling kids and parents. (Gsell expects the park, whose season runs until Nov. 11, to receive some 10,000 visitors a week, attendance on par with that of a medium-size zoo.) The giant lizards blink their eyes, swing their necks, and open their mouths to roar. By midday, a walkie-talkie-wielding park attendant is dispatched to stand guard over the park’s largest occupant. “A bunch of kids were trying to do pull-ups on the Argentinosaurus’s tail,” she explains.
Later, at the park’s Outback Steakhouse Amphitheater, a group of children stare in awe at a puppet T. rex in a show hosted by a loud, leather-hatted paleontologist from Australia (turns out he’s really a Russian-born American puppeteer). One audience volunteer, an 11-year-old named J.R. Vega of Verona, N.J., balks when given the opportunity to put a gloved hand into the puppet’s jaws.
“I knew it was a puppet, but it just felt so realistic,” he says. “Even though he’s very friendly, you never know. They have a tendency to eat anything.”
“This guy is so big, he just filled the binoculars,” says Gsell, referring to the 90-foot-long, yellow-skinned herbivore called Argentinosaurus. “Even if I didn’t own the dinosaur, I would think it was the coolest thing I ever saw.”
A bespectacled 51-year-old in a tweed sport coat, blue jeans, and silk dinosaur tie, Gsell is the founder and executive producer of Field Station: Dinosaurs, a 20-acre outdoor educational theme park in Secaucus (tagline: “9 minutes from Manhattan, 90 million years back in time”), which officially opened to the public this year during Memorial Day weekend. While animatronic dinosaur exhibits are popular in the U.S., Field Station is the first theme park dedicated entirely to them. It’s home to the record-setting Argentinosaurus, a motion-sensoring Tyrannosaurus rex that reacts to visitors, 29 other mechanized prehistoric beasts, and four human-operated dino puppets.
The attraction cost $2.5 million to get up and running—not including the cost of the life-size dinosaurs themselves, which Gsell says he’s not at liberty to disclose. The reptiles—molded foam rubber with steel skeletons—were custom designed by China’s Zigong Jade Bamboo Culture Development and move courtesy of KumoTek Robotics of Richardson, Tex. Erth, an Australian company, created the puppets. The exhibit, which targets kids ages 3 to 11, has partnered with the New Jersey State Museum to develop its educational programming, along with five corporate sponsors, including Lego and Crayola.
The park is modeled to resemble a fictional scientific expedition, and visitors encounter and study a few dozen dinosaurs along the way. Sound familiar? “The difference between Field Station: Dinosaurs and Jurassic Park is, of course, that my dinosaurs are guaranteed not to attack and eat anyone,” Gsell says.
As the founding director of Discovery Times Square—a large exhibit space in midtown Manhattan that has recently hosted popular traveling attractions such as the King Tut show and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition—Gsell was approached on numerous occasions by people who wanted to show their animatronic dinosaurs. A lifelong dino-enthusiast, Gsell loved the idea, but the lighthearted nature of “big rubber dinosaurs” didn’t fit with what he calls Discovery’s “more highbrow” mission. (Also, they didn’t fit inside the space.) In November 2010, he lined up an angel investor, checked out the abandoned quarry at the base of Snake Hill (property he would lease from the county), and took a huge risk. “By Thanksgiving, I had quit my job and gone into the dinosaur business,” he says.
It would appear to be a wise investment, because evidence suggests the fake-dinosaur business is booming. Walking With Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, a globe-trotting $19 million stage show featuring a cast of 20 ambulatory dinosaur figures, grossed $104.1 million in worldwide box office in 2010, earning it the No. 7 spot (just beating out Paul McCartney) on concert-industry trade magazine Pollstar’s yearend list of the world’s top tours.
Temporary animatronic dinosaur exhibits have proved a valuable add-on for science centers, theme parks, and zoos. They average roughly a 30 percent “capture rate,” meaning that nearly a third of attendees at the main park will visit the dinosaurs, according to Jennifer Chow, business development director for the British Columbia-based show, Dinosaurs Unearthed. The Detroit Zoo, for instance, reports that its 2011 Dinosauria exhibit (featuring animatronics provided by another company) drew in roughly 28 percent of its visitors at an additional cost of $4 per patron between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The zoo credits its 2011 year-on-year attendance increase—up 6 percent, to nearly 1.2 million visitors—in large part to Dinosauria. Chow says her company might charge anywhere from $300,000 to more than $500,000 for a six-month indoor exhibit housing 15 to 20 dinosaurs.
During the soft launch of Field Station: Dinosaurs this May, the grounds were teeming with smiling kids and parents. (Gsell expects the park, whose season runs until Nov. 11, to receive some 10,000 visitors a week, attendance on par with that of a medium-size zoo.) The giant lizards blink their eyes, swing their necks, and open their mouths to roar. By midday, a walkie-talkie-wielding park attendant is dispatched to stand guard over the park’s largest occupant. “A bunch of kids were trying to do pull-ups on the Argentinosaurus’s tail,” she explains.
Later, at the park’s Outback Steakhouse Amphitheater, a group of children stare in awe at a puppet T. rex in a show hosted by a loud, leather-hatted paleontologist from Australia (turns out he’s really a Russian-born American puppeteer). One audience volunteer, an 11-year-old named J.R. Vega of Verona, N.J., balks when given the opportunity to put a gloved hand into the puppet’s jaws.
“I knew it was a puppet, but it just felt so realistic,” he says. “Even though he’s very friendly, you never know. They have a tendency to eat anything.”
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