An Interesting Movie Opens This Week.......The Bridge

The Shadow knows the evil that lurks in the hearts of men. But what lurks in the hearts of the depressed is something that even The Shadow cannot comprehend at times.

One filmmaker tried to understand this. Today at the Tribecca Film Festival in New York City, the long-awaited documentary by Eric Steel, The Bridge, premiers.

Steel's film tells a story of a handful of the two dozen men and women who jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 2004. Steel got the permit to film the suicides by telling the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, which managed the property where Steel's cameras were, that he intended "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."

Steel claims that he lied about the purpose of the film to protect people. "To me, the worst-case scenario was if word got out that we were filming around the clock ... someone would get it into his or her head to go to the bridge and immortalize him or herself on film," Steel said. "That's why we didn't tell people."

The film, ironically enough, will have its West Coast premier this coming Sunday during the San Francisco International Film Festival, which is currently in progress. The film will be shown at 2:45 p.m. at the Kabuki 8 Theaters, 1881 Post Street, in San Francisco.

If you want to see the trailer, click here.

A "Smithy Code" in DaVinci Code Ruling

Three weeks ago, a ruling came down on a copyright infringement against the author of The DaVinci Code. The Shadow will not get into the specifics of the ruling, but there is one thing to note about this ruling which is very intersting.

With the worldwide release of The DaVinci Code set for May 19, 2006, Justice Peter Smith of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom inserted his own code -- which is starting to become known as the "Smithy Code" in the official opinion.

The code is found as follows: In reading the official opinion, certain letters have been italicized. In the first paragraph, the "s" in "claimants" has been italicized. In the second paragraph, the "m" in "Claimants" has been italicized. This goes on for the entirety of the 71-page opinion.

The Shadow has not yet read the opinion, but many people are, as we speak, trying to crack the code. Justice Smith notes that "I can't discuss the judgment, but I don't see why a judgment should not be a matter of fun."

And indeed fun it has been for many.

The Shadow will attempt to break the code and relay it to readers of this blog at a later date. If you would like to try your hand at cracking the code, you can find the full text of the opinion here.

If you would like more information on the upcoming release of The DaVinci Code, click here.

The Shadow and "7 Squared"

Earlier this week, The Shadow again had the opportunity to view another excellent art exhibit from the organization ARTworkSF. The title of this show is "7 Squared".

Golden Gate Bridge View from Baker's Beach by artist Marius Starkey

This show featured paintings and photography showing the beauty of this wonderful city that The Shadow now calls home: San Francisco. San Francisco is a city of 49 square miles (it is also California's smallest county). Over 750,000 people live in San Francisco and this exhibit sought to captured the flavor that is San Francisco.

Carnaval: Green Fin by artist Pauline Crother Scott

The artists featured in this exhibit are:

• Add Bonn
• Ben Dominguez
• Blake Tucker
• Heather Hanan
• Jack Freeman
• Lenea Maibaum
• NMarius Starkey
• Maury Edelstein
• Pauline Crother Scott
• Roger Licot
• Scott Tracy
• Suzun Hughes

Exploratorium Statuary by artist Heather Hanan

You can view the more works from the exhibit by cliciking on this link.

This exhibit is currently showing at the Offices of the Small Business Association of San Francisco, 455 Market Street, 6th Floor in San Francisco. Viewing hours are during normal business hours.

Of course, all work in this exhibit are available for sale or lease. Contact ARTworkSF for more details.

ARTworkSF's next exhibit reception will be Wednesday, May 10, 2005 from 5-7 p.m. at the Hotel Triton, 342 Grant Avenue (at Bush Street) in San Francisco. This exhibit, which opened April 12 and goes through May 12, is entitled "Music to My Eyes". The exhibit will feature the following artists:

• Vladimir Vitkovsky
• Alanna Spence
• Ben Dominguez
• Seth Matarese
• Nick Wightman
• Holly Calica
• William Mayfield

This exhibit will is a selected exhibit for artSFest 2006 which will take place May 4-29, 2006. For more information on this festival visit the festival's website. The Shadow will speak on this festival in a later blog entry.

Air Force One Has Been Tagged????

A news report has gone out today that Air Force One -- the Boeing 747 jet that carries the President of the United States -- was the target of graffiti spraying.

In truth, no such thing has happened. In a grainy 2-minute video that is now making the Internet rounds, 2 men are seen spraying "Still Free" on the presidential plane. The plane was actually a rented 747 with one side painted to resemble Air Force One. But it looked so authentic that even the Air Force had to inspect the actual Air Force One to make sure that it was not vandalized.

You can view the video here.

Observing a Centennial in San Francisco

On this date 100 years ago, at 5:13 a.m., a major earthquake hit the city of San Francisco.

The resulting fire destroyed most of the city. Marshal Law was declared by President Roosevelt with looters being shot on site. Many people who were homeless made their way to Golden Gate Park to live in tents.

San Francisco, as many of you know, has since recovered from this great natural disaster. In 1989, San Francisco was hit by another earthquake -- measuring 6.9 -- which only did minor damage as compared to the 1906 quake. But the city rose from the ashes to again become one of America's great cities.

The Shadow is proud to be a resident of this great city. It is a very progressive and forward-moving city. And as San Francisco today remembers the events of 100 years ago, The Shadow takes this opportunity to remember the victims of this disaster and salutes the city that has now taken its place.

The Shadow Has A "Working Title"

The Shadow, as readers of this blog knows, is a big supporter of the arts in San Francisco.

Today, The Shadow had the opportunity to view art in another medium: film. The Shadow was in attendance at the West Coast Premier of the documentary "Working Title". To quote directly from the film's website:

• A doctor knows when he has become a doctor
• A lawyer knows when he has become a lawyer
• But how does one know when he as become an artist?

Everyday, people meet each other for the first time, and the quickest way to connect, is to fiture out what the other person does professionally. In contemporary America, one is generally identified, and defined by, what he does to earn a living.

How does one form his identity, within the community, when he chooses a path which denies easy classification and rejects typical work associations as the main determinate of self?

The two filmmakers, Phil Lane and John Givens, went to Montclair, New Jersey to interview five artists: Jordan Carp, a musician; Bill Mattick, a photographer; Janet Taylor Pickett, a painter; Bill Tierney, a sculptor and painter; and Shoshanna Weinberger, a painter. The film deals with the pressures, conflicts and struggles these artists faced as they were pursuing their dream.

This is an independent film and not yet available in wide release. If you know of a film festival that would be interested in showing this work anywhere around the country, contact Phil and John at by clicking on this link.

For more information on the film itself, including a trailer, you can go to the film's website.

The Shadow Gives A Final Word on Jill Carroll

As many readers of this blog knows, The Shadow appealed to the kidnappers of American journalist Jill Carroll for most of the 82 days that she was in captivity. As you are probably aware by now, Jill was released late last week and is now back in the United States in an undisclosed location in Boston with her family.

Jill Carroll after her release
(Photo courtesy Reuters.com)

The Shadow has been troubled by many news organizations and bloggers who have attacked this young woman over a video that was made 24 hours before her release. In this propaganda video, Ms. Carroll slammed the U.S. government over the invasion of Iraq and called for the immediate withdrawl of U.S. troops. The Shadow did not take this video seriously. Ms. Carroll has since retracted everything that she said in the video.

The Shadow believes that the retraction shows the true feelings of Ms. Carroll.

To defend Ms. Carroll, The Shadow will now publish the entirety of Jill Carroll's statement, made after her release at the Ramstein military base in Germany (the statement appeared on the BBC News website):

I'm so happy to be free and am looking forward to spending a lot of time with my family. I want to express my deep appreciation to all the people who worked so long and hard for my release. I am humbled by the sympathy and support expressed by so many people during my kidnapping.

In the past few days, the US military and officials have been extremely generous, and I am grateful for their help. Throughout this ordeal, many US agencies have committed themselves to bringing me safely home.

My colleagues at the Christian Science Monitor have worked ceaselessly to secure my release, and worked with security consultants to do so. Many other news organisations, both inside and outside of Iraq, as well as many officials from Iraq and other countries, worked hard to bring about my freedom.

So many people around the world spoke out on my behalf. Thank you, all of you.

During my last night of captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I co-operated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and I wanted to go home alive. So I agreed.

Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not.

The people who kidnapped me and murdered Alan Enwiya are criminals, at best. They robbed Alan of his life and devastated his family. They put me, my family and my friends -- all those around the world -- who have prayed so fevently for my release -- through a horrific experience. I was, and remain, deeply angry with the people who did this.

I also gave a TV interview to the Iraqi Islamic Party shortly after my release. The party had promised me the interview would never be broadcast or aired on television, and they broke their word. At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely.

Out of fear I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times. Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One, that I refused to travel and co-operate with the US military and, two, that I refused to discuss my captivity with US officials.

Again, neither statement is true.

I want to be judged as a journalist, not as a hostage. I remain as committed as ever to fairness and accuracy -- to discovering the truth -- and so I will not engage in polemics.

But let me be clear: I abhor all who kidnap and murder civilians, and my captors are clearly guilty of both crimes.

Now, I ask for the time to heal. This has been a taxing 12 weeks for me and for my family. Please allow us some quite time alone, together.

The Shadow believes that the above statement reflects the true feelings of Jill Carroll.

There is one more issue that The Shadow must address:

As this blog has recorded the release of Jill Carroll, several comments have been added that have been very insulting to this process. While The Shadow does believe in free speech, it is The Shadow's belief that these comments were unwarranted. Comments to this blog are always welcome, but The Shadow will not tolerate racist or inciteful speech. To that end, those comments were deleted from this blog.

And to Jill Carroll, The Shadow says: Welcome Home!

The Shadow Views More Conversations

Recently, The Shadow had the opportunity to view another great art exhibit from ARTworkSF. The title of this exhibit is "Conversations in Color: Contraposed Harmonies".

Alchemical Marriage by artist Cyndee Chavez

Featured artists at this exhibit were:

• Suzun Hughes
• Cyndee Chavez
• Heather Hanan
• Genea Barnes
• AnneKarin Glass
• Jennifer Morris
• Michael Childs
• Andres Le Roux
• Marius Starkey
• Add Bonn
• Celestte
• Dan Cope
• Aishah Hopkins
• Roger Knox
• Mary Lou D'Auray
• Jennifer Mack
• Dimitri Kourouniotis

This exhibit, in the words of Curator Matt McKinley, is "an exhibit of works marked by high contrast, featureing complimentary and split complimentary color schemes that emphasize simultaneous contrast to present strong visual statements and eye-catching compositions."

Art collector "in-training" Bella with her mom in front of Metal Totem I by artist Suzun Hughes

This exhibit is currently being shown at Polarity Post Productions, 69 Green Street, in San Francisco. Viewing hours are 9-5 Monday thru Friday.

The Shadow with artist Celestte at the reception

As always, all work in this exhibit are available for sale or lease (for three months). For more information, visit ARTworkSF's website.

For more views of artist Celestte's work, visit her website.

For more pictures from the reception, click here.

ARTworkSF's next artist reception will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2006, at the offices of the SBA of San Francisco, located at 455 Market Street, 6th Floor, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Featured artists at this exhibit, entitled "Seven Squared" will be:

• Add Bonn
• Ben Dominguez
• Blake Tucker
• Heather Hanan
• Jack Freeman
• Lenea Maibaum
• Marius Starkey
• Maury Edelstein
• Pauline Crowther Scott
• Roger Licot
• Scott Tracy
• Suzun Hughes

Two other events of note from ARTworkSF artists:

Artist Jennifer Mack has informed The Shadow of an art opening this coming Thursday, April 6, at San Francisco Women Artists, located at 3489 Sacramento Street in San Francisco. The title of this exhibit is “Around the World”. The reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (or thereabouts). The Shadow will be in attendance.

The Shadow’s newest friend, artist Faith Rumm, is currently showing in 2 places in the Bay Area. During the month of April, Faith is showing 18 large pieces at Aroma Café, 1122 4th Street, in San Rafael (next to the Rafael Theater). Faith invites all to come enjoy a meal and coffee and enjoy her exhibit either before or after a movie. Faith is also showing 16 works at the Gobble and Squat Café, located at Fillmore and Haight Streets in San Francisco. This exhibit is available through April 25. For more information on Faith, visit her website.

The Shadow Comments on Jill Carroll

As many readers of this blog knows, The Shadow had been tirelessly lobbying for the unconditional release of Jill Carroll. Last Friday, that was accomplished and Ms. Carroll was freed. She is currently in Boston with her family and The Shadow is abiding by his earlier statement to give the family privacy until they are ready to comment.

The Shadow has been disturbed by several items in the news that indicates that Ms. Carroll was siding with her captors and many people (including bloggers who were rallying to her cause) were posting remarks against her.

The Shadow decided to wait until Ms. Carroll was safely outside of Iraq before believing anything that Ms. Carroll said. The Shadow firmly believes that Ms. Carroll was under duress when she made the anti-American statements that she made. She did it to protect her life. Now that she is outside of Iraq and under the protection of the United States once again, she is free to state what she really felt about the situation, which she did on Saturday through a statement read by the Christian Science Monitor.

The Shadow accepts everything that Ms. Carroll has stated from the time that she was under U.S. protection to the present. The Shadow does not believe, even for a moment, that Ms. Carroll stood by the statements that she made on Baghdad television or on Islamic websites that are being widely distributed.

The Shadow also will not accept comments from anyone seeking to discredit Ms. Carroll or the Christian Science Monitor. The Shadow has deleted comments from this blog in the past 24 hours that has done that. If you wish to comment on these articles, that is fine -- but The Shadow will not leave these entries as an opportunity to attack Jill Carroll or the Christian Science Monitor.

Evil lurks everywhere. And The Shadow will delete it anywhere that he sees it.

Jill Carroll is now home with her family. This is a time to celebrate her release from captivity, not flame her for remarks that she made under duress.

Again, The Shadow will have a final word on this matter once the family has made a formal statement.