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Miller: Fast food politics

By
Michael Miller
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Voters practice politics in Lucas County like they approach the comfort food menu at a fast food joint. The relatively smart and healthy choices are usually ignored for less challenging options.

There was not one surprise in any Lucas County race this year. The usual suspects won, like cheeseburgers win over salads at McDonald’s. Sherrod Brown. Bob Latta. Marcy Kaptur. Randy Gardner. Michael Ashford (unopposed). Teresa Fedor (unopposed). Future Toledo Mayor Matt Szollosi. Barbara Sears. Pete Gerken. Tina Skeldon Wozniak. Julia Bates (unopposed). J. Bernie Quilter. Wade Kapszukiewicz.

Would you like fries with that?

It’s not that these are bad people; they are just easy options, chosen for comfort and familiarity as much (if not more) as for competence and results.

In the Lucas County Recorder race, voters chose Phil Copeland over George Sarantou. It is gracious and proper to congratulate Copeland, even as one shakes one’s head in disappointment. Under Jeanine Perry, the recorder’s office has stayed out of the news, a testament to its efficiency and competence. Let us hope its employees can compensate for Copeland’s lack of a plan for the office (“I want to go and be a part of it and I may have some ideas when I get in there,” Copeland said, a fair approach when talking about decorating a kitchen but a suspect plan for dealing with an important county office).

Even scarier is that Jack Ford is reportedly maneuvering behind the scenes to garner an appointment to Copeland’s soon-to-be vacated seat. There is buzz that Carty Finkbeiner and current City Council President Joe McNamara are working to help Ford make that happen. Finkbeiner’s days in government are over, but if McNamara is embroiled in moving Council backward with Ford, serious doubts should be cast on McNamara’s judgment if he is truly considering a campaign for Toledo mayor.

Sarantou’s loss was part of another stellar showing for the Lucas County Republican Party, a pitiful group establishing a legacy of epic failures and incompetency. The Lucas County GOP loses so often, it makes the Pittsburgh Pirates’ current 20-season losing streak look like a rousing success.

Making a ‘metafur’

My first-grader’s school was closed on Election Day to serve as a polling place, so he was going to work with me for the day. We left our house at 6 a.m. to make sure I could vote. Six-year-old Evan, who has been absorbing political commercials and propaganda, was anxious for President Obama to retain his job. Evan’s mom and I disagreed on this point; she is an unshakable liberal who eschews Republican candidates like she shoos away summer flies and I am a conservative-leaning moderate who tries to vote case by case. I voted for Obama in 2008 but have seen enough of his idea of “hope and change” to switch allegiances to the GOP candidate. As we drove to the polling place, Evan asked me repeatedly if I was still voting against Obama and I repeatedly said yes. My jaw, despite regular doses of prescription Motrin, still ached from an earlier double root canal surgery, so I preferred not to talk. But I wanted to encourage Evan’s interest in the voting process so I tried to explain to him why I was voting against his guy.

“This vote is more about you and your little brother Sean than it is about me and your mom,” I told him. “The country needs to make some major changes about money and planning so you and Sean can grow up to be what you want and be comfortable enough to have families if you want to. I believe Mr. Romney is more likely to try to make changes that will benefit you than Mr. Obama is.”

“You don’t know that for sure, do you Dad?” he asked.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “But voting is sometimes about choosing a person based on potential and hope.”

Evan was silent for a beat.

“Daddy, I thought President Obama owned hope.”

I laughed to myself and told him, “No one really owns hope. I voted for Mr. Obama last time but you were only 2 and Sean was just a few months old. Today, I don’t have the same faith in him.”

Evan and I arrived at the precinct voting station a little early and stood in line with about 50 people. The line moved fairly quickly and Evan stood by patiently as I filled the ballot circles and turned in my ballot. We both received “I Voted” stickers, which we placed on our jackets, and walked to the car.

Evan was quiet for a while, then asked, “Daddy, did you vote for President Obama?”

“No, I voted for Mr. Romney. Remember, I think that’s the best choice for you and your future.”

“It’s OK,” Evan said. “I won’t tell Mommy.”

“I think she’ll know, son,” I said.

“But wouldn’t it be easier to keep President Obama?” Evan asked.

“Easier isn’t always better,” I said. “In fact, easier is usually not better. McDonald’s may be more fun, but it’s not as good for you as making a smart dinner at home.”

Evan sat quietly for a few miles.

“Can we go to McDonald’s today?”

“Not today,” I said. “There will be too many voters there.”

“Why would voters be at McDonald’s?” he asked.

“Never mind,” I said.

“You’re making up a ‘metafur,’ aren’t you?” he replied.

I smiled. “Yes, but don’t tell your mom.”

“I think she’ll know, Dad.”

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. 

Craig’s Pianos & Keyboards celebrating 41 years

By
Toledo Free Press
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Craig Whitaker owns Craig's Pianos & Keyboards, a piano sales, tuning and repair shop in Toledo. Free Press photo by Joseph Herr.

When he was in junior high, Craig Whitaker tried to tune his parents’ piano.

“We had a piano that needed to be tuned, so I said, ‘Hey, I can do that,’” Whitaker said. “I did such a bad job, my parents had to call out a piano tuner to fix it. A few months later, I had an opportunity to tune a relative’s piano and did an equally poor job. My parents had to call out the same piano tuner to correct that tuning.”

From those humble, fumbling beginnings, the West Toledo native went on to become a registered piano technician and estimates he’s successfully tuned more than 40,000 pianos to date.

Whitaker opened Craig’s Pianos & Keyboards in 1971. The business, at 2902 Sylvania Ave., is the only full-service piano shop in the Toledo area. It offers new and used pianos, keyboards and organs as well as sheet music, lessons and tuning, restoration and repair services.

Craig Whitaker, owner of Craig’s Pianos & Keyboards.

To celebrate more than 40 years in business, Craig’s will host a four-day sale Nov. 15-18, featuring up to 40 percent off all pianos. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 15-17 and 1-5 p.m. Nov. 18.

Whitaker said one of the reasons he’s lasted in business is because he surrounds himself with skilled staff.

“I’m smart enough to know I don’t know the stuff I don’t know,” Whitaker said. “So I find people who do those things better than I do.”

Whitaker majored in clarinet performance at the University of Toledo and then apprenticed under Rossford piano rebuilder Paul Stewart. He said he enjoys restoring and repairing pianos because it involves creativity and critical thinking skills.

“There’s a series of approximately 40 steps that happen in order to make a piano key sound correctly,” Whitaker said. “When that gets out of adjustment, there’s some figuring to do on what to do first and how that affects the second thing, which then adversely affects the third thing. So you have to think it through.

“Some of what I do, there aren’t any books to show you how. We’ve had pianos come in here that have been in three feet of water where the bottom half of the piano is unglued. It’s simply a matter of looking at the problem and analyzing it and trying to be creative in an approach. If you think about something long enough you usually come up with the solution.”

No two pianos are exactly alike, Whitaker said.

“That’s kind of the beauty of pianos, is that each piano is individual,” he said. “A manufacturer can produce two pianos of the same size, model, type, quality and color, sitting side by side, and they can both be completely different sounding.”

Steinway is his favorite brand for tone quality, Yamaha for quality of construction and European manufacturers for cabinetry, Whitaker said — but an elusive mix of aesthetic features will draw him to a certain piano.

“If I just want to sit down and play a piano, the piano has to speak to me,” Whitaker said.

Although he is intimately familiar with their innards, Whitaker plays piano only casually.

“You could equate me with a race car mechanic that drives casually in his home car, but knows how to soup up race cars,” Whitaker said. “I’m not a race car driver. I’m not a concert pianist. I play enough in order to get a sense of what the instrument sounds like and how it feels, but I am not proficient. I’m not a performer.”

Whitaker has been Toledo Symphony Orchestra’s (TSO) exclusive piano tuner and technician for more than 30 years.

“Nobody touches Toledo Symphony Orchestra pianos unless Craig assigns them,” said TSO General Manager Keith McWatters. “He’s always delivered. He’s a good guy to have on the team.”

Whitaker is on hand before each performance to adjust TSO’s pianos to the artist’s specifications. A collection of autographs from the professional musicians he’s tuned for fills two large binders at the shop.

“They are playing technical, difficult music and need an instrument that’s going to react,” McWatters said. “That’s what we call the action, how the piano responds to the fingers of the person trying to play. In a 9-foot grand that mechanism has to be absolutely flawless. If there’s any delay and you’ve got 10 fingers going 100 miles an hour and it doesn’t react, it’s like a bicycle race where one guy crashes and they all crash. There are so many variables in the inner workings of a piano.”

Whitaker also tunes all of Toledo School for the Arts’ (TSA) pianos and has demonstrated his work to TSA students who came to his shop for a field trip, said chorus and piano instructor Jamie Dauel.

“They really are one of the only true piano shops left in this area and they provide quality service and quality work,” Dauel said. “They are very good friends to the school and genuinely support education and participate in the education process. I can’t say enough good about them.”

Toledo Opera artistic administrator and chorus master Kevin Bylsma agreed.

“His work and service have been top-notch,” Bylsma said. “We’re always satisfied.”

For more information, visit the web site craigskeyboards.com.

Retirement Guys: For Veterans Day and beyond: Adopt a troop

By
Mark Clair & Nolan Baker
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As we come to the end of another national election, many of us exercised our right to participate in the democratic process and elect our national leader. And while some may be thrilled and others not happy with who won, we should be thankful for the process and that we are not living in a country where corruption is the absolute determining factor in the outcome. Many countries hold elections that are rigged by backroom deals and payoffs. While our country has its share of problems, we can all have a certain level of confidence in the process.

What does it mean to you to be an American? Think about it for a few moments. Sometimes we can be moving through everyday life and take it for granted. Here are a few things it means to me (Mark). It all revolves around freedom. We all just had the freedom to go and cast our votes for who will run the country for the next four years. We have the freedom to live where we choose and the freedom to choose the kind of work we want to do. We have the freedom to practice whatever religious beliefs we have. We have the freedom to pursue whatever our definition of the American dream is. For some, it is creating a business that becomes their legacy that is passed down from generation to generation. For some, it is merely working hard to provide a nice lifestyle for their families and an education that equips their children to better pursue their dreams. For others, the dream may be more about passing on values and beliefs than it is about money or things. Whatever it is, we all have a certain amount of freedom to do our own thing. We can decide what we want to spend our time on.

I think about the time we are living in now and the span of time that I have lived, and I am thankful that I have not had to experience the hardships that many others did to get us to this point. The study of history has made me sit back sometimes in amazement at what those who have come before us went through in their lives. Past times that come to mind are times of war, famine, economic depression and many situations of personal hardship. Everything from the colonists coming here to establish a new country to the Civil War to the Great Depression to World Wars I and II to where we are today. During these times, people lived hard lives to establish something for those who would come along next.

When thinking about those whohave sacrificed something for the greater good, it is natural to think about our troops, who are working and in some cases dying to keep us safe from harm. With that in mind, The Retirement Guys have participated the past few years in what we call our Community Give Back Campaign.

We have tried to think of ways we can give back to our community as a sign of appreciation for the freedom and opportunity we have to do what we do. We have participated in causes like Vision Kitchen, Race for the Cure and Miracle Christmas. A cause that is near and dear to our hearts is Adopt a Platoon. This is an organization that allows you to adopt one soldier or an entire troop and send them things like handwritten letters and packages of goodies. The Retirement Guys just finished sponsoring a troop of 35 soldiers who have recently come home. With Veterans Day coming up, we have decided to sponsor another troop and will be sending them things like snacks (nuts, ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, granola bars, dried fruits, jerky, Slim Jims, etc.), books, board games, puzzle books, playing cards, etc. It is a small token of our appreciation and we are told how much our troop members look forward to receiving these items.

We encourage you to join with us. If you are reading this column and are interested in participating, there are several ways to do so. If you belong to a company or organization, you may want to consider adopting your own troop. You can get more information by going to www.adoptaplatoon.org/site/. You could also participate with The Retirement Guys and drop off donations to us here in Maumee of the things listed above. Our contact person in charge of this project locally is Dana Nehren. She can be reached at our office at (419) 842-0550. May God bless you and your families and God Bless America.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, visit www.retirementguysnetwork.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. (419) 842-0550.

Treece: Second term score card

By
Dock David Treece
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It is no secret that many have been predicting a Romney victory for several months. While the polls leading up to election night showed a dead heat, very few predicted that Democrats would come out the way they did (preliminary numbers showed +6 Democrats at the exit polls). Whether this article was going to be about Mitt Romney’s first term or President Barack Obama’s second term, the numbers do not change. A politician cannot create jobs, but he or she can influence the environment needed to encourage job growth. Regardless of which candidate won, these are the numbers that need to be achieved for a successful term.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) must reach 5 percent year to year at least once in President Obama’s second term. While 5 percent sounds quite high compared to the dismal sub-2 percent growth that we have seen, it is achievable. During the Reagan administration, the federal government had to intentionally devalue the U.S. dollar to keep exports competitive on a global scale, because GDP was growing at more than 9.5 percent year to year.

Bring unemployment down to 5 percent or lower. With unemployment still an issue facing many Americans, we need to get our nation back to work. By doing so we will also be able to make necessary cuts to social welfare programs that have become beyond burdensome to our federal government.

Bring U6 unemployment back to below 10 percent. U6 is a published government figure that I feel more closely resembles national unemployment. It includes the same numbers factored into U3 (the official rate) and also factors in people looking for full-time work who have to settle for a part-time job, as well as people who are not working but have indicated they wanted a job in the previous 12 months. These workers are referred to as “marginally attached workers” or “discouraged workers.” President Clinton was able to bring U6 down to roughly 7 percent from 12 percent from 1994-99. If President Obama were to accomplish this goal at the same rate, U6 would be somewhere between 8 and 8.5 percent.

Fuel prices must come back down to the $2-$2.50 range. Studies have shown that we have more than enough oil and natural gas in our own country, but we lack a political will to issue permits and retrieve those resources. The number of drilling permits issued on federal land dropped 40 percent from 2007-11.

While there is still an offshore drilling ban in U.S. waters, President Obama has been content to provide funds and support to help develop Brazil’s oil industry, a move that would not lower U.S. prices.

No more budget deficits. Our deficits have exceeded $1 trillion every year for the past four years. This is an unacceptable and unprecedented rate of spending that must be stopped. If deficit spending in the next four years surpasses $500 billion, it will be considered a failed term.

No more federal debt added. The federal debt is not a problem yet, but it is certainly on its way to being a major problem. The government needs to either increase revenues in order to fund its spending (or start paying down some of the debt), or cap spending to a reasonable level. The only viable option for the federal government to raise revenues would be through expanded payrolls. Raising taxes will not work. The proposed tax increases would not even begin to fund federal deficit spending, let alone cover it.

Do not blame the previous administration. “Blame Bush” may have been bought by the public for the first four years, but for the next four President Obama can only blame himself. Had Romney been elected, blaming President Obama would not have been acceptable, and Obama continuing to pass the buck will not be tolerated either.

These are not partisan issues, but economic issues that need to be resolved for the U.S. to get back on track. I hope that President Obama can make his second term a success and the U.S. economy can thrive again.

 

Ben Treece is a 2009 Graduate from the University of Miami (Fla.), BBA International Finance and Marketing. He is a partner with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA, working for Treece Financial Services Corp. The above information is the express opinion of Ben Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

92-year-old painter says seniors never too old to learn

By
Erin Holden
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Jayne Schroeder started painting at age 80. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney

The walls of nearly every room in Jayne Schroeder’s Toledo home are covered in framed paintings, her handiwork of the past 12 years.

The 92-year-old took up painting at age 80, saying she believes no one is ever too old to learn something new.

Jayne Schroeder of Toledo started painting when she was 80. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney.

“Everyone can do something to keep their mind occupied,” Schroeder said. “Don’t just sit there and say, “‘Well, I’m old. I guess I can sit in this chair and do nothing.’ Or ‘I’ve worked hard all my life.’ I’ve heard that before. Baloney. So did I.”

Schroeder, who grew up in Sylvania, retired as head of the social work department at the former Medical College of Ohio at age 63. Years later, her daughter gave her some art supplies, which Schroeder “fiddled around with” for a year before deciding she should take some formal lessons.

She found For the Love of Art, a Toledo art supply shop at 4027 N. Holland-Sylvania Road, where owner Bob Schira offers art classes for all ages. Adult classes are offered Mondays through Thursdays.

“I called around to different art places and got a hold of Bob,” Schroeder said. “I said, ‘Do you have art classes for 80-year-old dummies?’ He said, ‘There are no 80-year-old dummies,’ so I said, ‘OK, you’re for me!’ I decided to start with him and I’ve been with him ever since. Every Wednesday. I’ve seen umpteen people come and go, but I’ve stuck with it because my husband died 19 years ago and I don’t know what to do with myself and I don’t want to watch television all the time.”

Schira starts all beginning art students with drawing before they move on to paint, pastels, watercolors or other mediums.

“Jayne has done a number of incredible pieces,” Schira said. “She came here in 2000 after having been retired quite a few years and said, ‘Do you think I can do this?’ And the answer is, by all accounts, a resounding, ‘Yes,  she can!’”

Schroeder started painting with acrylics and found her niche.

“I’m too impatient to go for oil,” Schroeder said. “I like acrylics.”

Her favorite subjects are buildings and landscapes, especially barn scenes.

“I like building scenes. I don’t care to do people,” Schroeder said. “I just like the scenery. I’m pretty good at trees.”

Schroeder has also painted William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s house in England, the Eiffel Tower, a French castle, Mackinac Island and the Mackinac Bridge, beach scenes, lighthouses, covered bridges and more.

Schroeder gives many of her paintings to family and friends. She’s sold a few, donated some to fundraisers and even gotten a few commissions.

“I’ve been giving them away to friends and Bob the teacher yells at me,” Schroeder said. “He wants me to sell them. I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ I just let people pick out what they want.”

Schira said his classes have many talented participants, but the focus is on having fun and trying new things.

Bob Schira

“We don’t worry about making something museum-worthy,” Schira said. “Our emphasis is on let’s express yourself and learn how these tools work and maybe the result is going to be a big surprise, a nice surprise. I like to see all the students come in and find a way to let themselves out.

“Jayne has been painting with us in our classes for the last 13 years. She’s just a character. She adds so much to the class. She’s got a style and her personality is really unique. I hope some other 92-year-olds say, ‘I could do that.’”

Schroeder said she has no plans to stop painting or attending classes.

“They are a lot of fun and he doesn’t care how much fun we have as long as we paint away,” Schroeder said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t paint. I think that’s why older people get a rocking chair and sit and watch TV, because they don’t have anything else to do.”

Schroeder does have one television weakness, however.

“I only watch cooking shows,” Schroeder said. “I love to cook.”

For more information, visit www.forloveart.com.

Levis Commons Christmas tree lighting set for Nov. 17, 2012

By
Dock David Treece
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The Town Center at Levis Commons is kicking off the holiday season with its 8th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6-9 p.m. Nov. 17.

Santa and Elmo are only a couple of the important guests expected to attend the celebration.

Santa will start the event at 6 p.m. and be available for visits until 9 p.m.,according to a news release. Families should bring their own cameras.

Julie’s Dance Studio and the Perrysburg Sophisticates will provide entertainment with dance and baton performances. The Forte Trio Boys and Night Session Orchestra are also set to perform. The Forte Trio Boys is a group of Ottawa Hills Elementary School sixth-graders who take voice lessons and the Night Session Orchestra is a full instrumentation big band, according to the release.

Mary Beth and Rick from 101.5 The River and Elmo will lead the crowd in a countdown to the tree lighting at 8 p.m. There are more than 150,000 lights on the 50-foot tree, according to the release. Elmo will choose 10 children to help with the ceremony.

ISOH/IMPACT will collect items for the “Keeping Kids Kozy and Warm” project during the event. Donations of homemade or purchased blankets/throws, pajamas, packages of underwear/socks and age-appropriate books are needed. Those who donate will be eligible to win a prize package,which includes tickets to ISOH/IMPACT’s annual “International Tea & Gingerbread Party” on Dec. 1.

Horse-drawn carriage rides will also be available during the three-hour event. Pickup is located on Chappel Drive near Schakolad Chocolate Factory. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family, according to the release.

Also at the event, “Snow Globe Live” will give children the chance to play inside a giant snow globe, complete with fake snow.

For more information, visit ShopLevisCommons.com.

New organization aims to fund local arts programs

By
Erin Holden
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A new local organization, the Grant Writers for the Arts Foundation, will celebrate its launch with two upcoming events.

Due to reduced funding, many schools have cut arts programs. The group’s mission is to regrant community-based organizations that provide performing arts, visual arts and music instruction for children in grades K-8, said founder/CEO Kathleen Greely.

“Creative arts has always been one of the paths that would help our youth today to arrive at a place of better academic success,” Greely said. “How do we really replace that which we are taking away? What are we doing to give kids access to creative learning? These kids are going to be our tomorrow. I think it’s our responsibility to give rise to outlets for children.”

At 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9, artist Carmen Miller will headline a mixer for the “movers and shakers of Toledo’s creative community” at Club Evolution, 519 N. Reynolds Road, Greely said.

Admission is free. On Nov. 11, a fundraiser, Artz and Soul, is set for 2-6 p.m. at the historic Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd. Grammy-nominated neo-soul singer/song-writer Dwele will headline the entertainment lineup.

Also performing will be Ramona Collins, Michael Hayes Sr. & Creative Impulse, Jesse Coleman & The Jamm Band, Bobby G, Carmen Miller, Dwayne Douglas, Joy Youster, Toledo Free Press Star columnist Rachel Richardson, U.G.E., That Band and more.

There will also be a salsa and ballroom dance-off.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Jack’s Men’s Wear, 3414 Dorr St., Henry’s Jewelry, 4909 Dorr St. or online at grantwritersforthearts.org. A VIP afterparty will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Club Evolution. Cost is $10 at the door. For more information, visit www.grantwritersforthearts.org.

‘Star Wars’ fans: Stop vilifying Lucas

By
Jeff McGinnis
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There is probably no franchise in pop culture more celebrated than“Star Wars.”

And, in a perverse twist of fate, there are few figures in pop culture who are more reviled than the series’ creator, George Lucas.

Ever since 1999, when the first of the three prequels was released and widely derided as an unworthy successor, fans of the franchise have taken up arms against Lucas and found fault in most everything he has done.

The man who created and guided the “Star Wars” series, overseeing its maturation into a pop culture juggernaut that changed movies forever, was suddenly a schmuck.

Lucas was now clearly a horrible filmmaker, fans everywhere would write endlessly on message boards,social media outlets, blogs and more. He was a lousy writer, as evidenced by the terrible dialogue and plotting of the new trilogy. He was a man who obviously held nothing but contempt for his fans, given how he refused to offer the original versions of the films they held so dear for sale.

What has always bothered me about the level and passion of the vitriol directed at Lucas is how overblown the anger is, considering that if the guy hadn’t created the series in the first place, there would be nothing to get so passionately angry about.

Lucas is obviously not the awful director and writer he is being painted as, given the quality of the first “Star Wars” movie — the one that launched the fanbase’s passion in the first place — not to mention his work on “THX 1138” and “American Graffiti.”

Granted, if you loved the original movies and have hated everything he has done since — Lucas did not direct another movie after “Star Wars” until Episode I — you can still dismiss his work under the scientifically proven “What have you done for me lately?” train of thought.

And anyone can express dissatisfaction and disgust over an artist’s work, of course. Look who’s talking — I make a kinda-sorta living doing the same.

But the anger I see goes far beyond just saying that you don’t like a movie. It ranges into the most ridiculously hyperbolic hatred I can think of, with fans jokingly (I hope) ranting incessantly about how they plan on making Lucas pay for his transgressions against the franchise that they care about, grew up with, one that has made a big contribution to their lives since childhood.

I grew up with “Star Wars,” too. A big part of me loves the franchise as fervently as the most passionate fanboy. But I also try and keep perspective.

Yes, it is silly that Lucas continues to tinker with the original trilogy and maintains the position that they should not be released except in the new forms he deems worthy. But then again, that was his right when the movie was first released, too, before anyone else had even seen it.

As the author of the work, I believe he has the right to make alterations if he wishes. I also believe that for film history, he should continue to preserve and release the original versions.

Were the films of the prequel trilogy equal in quality to the original films? Of course not. But they were also not bad films, either.

Yes, I said it. I have always felt that Episode I and III were fundamentally good movies with amazing special effects, imaginative visuals and genuinely entertaining storytelling. They also had no chance of standing up to the first trilogy.

Lucas could have made the space opera equivalent of “Citizen Kane” in 1999, and the shadow of Episodes IV-VI were impossible to overcome.

Now, as we sit in the aftermath of one of the biggest deals in pop culture history, wherein Disney has announced plans to buy Lucasfilm and the rights to “Star Wars,” you’d think fans would be rejoicing that the man himself would no longer have any connection to the franchise they insist he ruined. But in actuality, this is being seen as one last act of contempt — clearly, selling these beloved characters to the most saccharin of Hollywood studios is his final middle finger.

But it also means the franchise now has steady leadership and a future outside of Lucas’ guidance. It means that maybe those original films will now be readily available. It means that new films will be made.

As has been pointed out on Twitter, Disney purchased Marvel in 2009 to similar fan hand-wringing,and the end result has been a stronger brand which hasn’t been compromised— and gave us terrific “Iron Man” and“Avengers” films, too.

And Lucas? He’s already announced his plans to donate the lion’s share of the $4 billion he’ll make from the sale toward education. And, just maybe, he can garner a respite from the overheated hatred of fans who love his work but hate its creator.

So,on behalf of myself, I would like to say,thank you, George. No matter what others say, you have contributed far more good than bad to the world, and changed the pop culture landscape forever. And for that, you deserve far more respect than you seem to garner.

Oh, and “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a good movie, too

‘Star Wars’ writer says Disney will respect franchise

By
Jim Beard
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In the wake of The Walt Disney Co.’s announcement of its purchase of Lucasfilm for a smidge over $4 billion, it’s not just “Star Wars” fans who are putting their trust in the Force — it’s also those creators who make their living shaping that galaxy far, far away.

Freelance writer Jeremy Barlow, author of several “Star Wars” projects at Dark Horse Comics as well as “Mass Effect” tie-ins, exhibited “complete shock” when he first heard the news, but swiftly realized the deal’s potential and profitability.

“I did not see it coming, but it makes sense, really,” he insists. “Overall, it’s a good thing for the franchise — Disney will respect the brand and inject some new life into it. As a fan, I’m excited to see what they do with it.”

Barlow’s a pragmatic fellow, able to look at the Disney purchase in a cold light as well as by the flickering embers that burn in the heart of all devotees to George Lucas’ little 35-year-old rebellion.

“This is Disney’s game to lose,” he said. “There’s a segment of ‘Star Wars’ fans that put ‘Star Wars’ expanded universe timelines and continuity ahead of story, and those guys might have a rough road ahead, but I’d hope that some good films will ease that pain. Because, really, what are we talking about here? The —OK, very slight — possibility of Brad Bird or Andrew Stanton or Matthew Vaughn writing and directing a ‘Star Wars’ movie? I’ll be first in line.”

Is Barlow concerned that a portion of his bread and butter — ‘Star Wars’ comics — may make the jump to light speed and leave Dark Horse?

“That’s the other shoe still to drop, isn’t it?” he said. “Dark Horse has put so much care and thought into the ‘Star Wars’ comics that I can’t see anyone else doing that job at the same level. So I hope they keep the license. What’s right and what’s profitable seldom cross in the corporate world, though, and Disney does already own their own comics publisher. We can only wait and see.”

Lights to shine at Frankie’s Inner City on Nov. 12, 2012.

By
Vicki Kroll
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Electro-rocker Light performs Nov. 13 at Frankie's Inner City, Photo courtesy Perpetual Media Relations.

Electro-rocker Lights was flying high when she found inspiration for the title track of her 2011 disc, “Siberia.”

“That was one of the first songs written with [electronic band] Holy F*** after we jammed,” she recalled. “This really cool kind of pulsating, distorted sound came out, and I took it home and started writing to it. I tried to come up with lyrics and nothing would work, and I knew the track was something special.

“And I was actually flying into Denver, when I was landing I was trying to work on lyrics, and it was all just snow. And it reminded me of the way Siberia looked, and I remembered the man who’s my husband now said we could be happy no matter where we are; we could be in Siberia.

“And I thought, man, that means so much because that is truly what the best part of life is: How you can be anywhere but as long as you’re with the right people, you’re in the right place.”

The Canadian singer-songwriter found herself ready to change things up on this disc.

“I was ready to evolve,” she said during a call before a show in Calgary, Alberta. “When you have one record out and you’ve had your entire life to make that, it’s a very challenging thing to find your way to the next record.”

So Lights collaborated with HolyF*** and rapper Shad.

“The first record (2009’s ‘The Listening’) was kind of like me getting stuff off my chest and talking about things I was going through, and the second record is a bit more of a visual escape and a bit more carefree in terms of the content,” she said.

Consider the catchy single, “Toes.”

“I always like to make sure the lyrics have meaning because music is such a powerful thing, and why not move people if you can? So I thought: What’s the most exciting situation you can be in with your job or with a person? It’s anticipation, it’s looking forward to something. And that’s when you know there’s something special in your life, when it keeps you excited.”

She captured attention north of the border with a 2008 self-titled EP that featured “Drive My Soul.” In 2009, she won the JUNO Award for New Artist of the Year.

“I had this little EP out, we were touring around in this old, junky van, playing to 30 people, and I got a text saying that you were nominated for a JUNO, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s super unexpected.’ And then to win on top of that was amazing,” she said. “It’s nice to know your country’s got your back.”

Lights will play at Frankie’s Inner City Nov. 13, 2912. Arkells will open. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 the night of the concert. Doors open at 7 p.m.

“I like to write something that cantake people away for a little bit and they don’t leave heavier than when they came in,” Lights said. “I want it to be a bit freeing, a cheap vacation.

“The reason we like so much art is because it takes us out of real life for a minute, and that’s exactly what I try to do.”

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