FLICK FRIDAY / CINE SAN DIEGO

 

From Axios San Diego: If you didn't see this year's Academy Award-nominated films on the big screen, here's how you can stream them. Best Picture nominees:

 • "Sinners" on HBO Max 

• Bugonia" on Peacock 

• "F1" on Apple TV 

• "Frankenstein" on Netflix 

• "Train Dreams" on Netflix 

• "One Battle After Another" on HBO Max 

Fun fact: Scenes from One Battle the epic action thriller and comedy starring Leonardo DiCaprio were filmed around San Diego County, including East Village, The Westgate Hotel, Otay Mesa and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. 

Colonel Lockjaw (actor Sean Penn) descends the stairs at the Westgate Hotel. Yes, the Westgate is in San Diego, but in the film it is set in Las Vegas. 

THE FOODIST / WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE DINED IN BRASILIA?

Sallva Bar e Ristorante, Brasilia.

When was the last time any of us spent time in the capital of Brazil? Not on Travel Advisor–style recommendation blogs, but in the actual city. Yet Brasília exists. It matters. It governs a continent-scale nation. And now we know it also has one genuinely excellent restaurant. Sallva Bar e Ristorante earns that distinction by doing something increasingly rare: it cooks with judgment. 

The kitchen operates in a Mediterranean framework, but the sensibility is unmistakably Brazilian in its respect for ingredient quality and proportion. 

Starters are restrained and confident. Fish carpaccio arrives clean and properly chilled, sliced thin, dressed with citrus and olive oil applied with a light hand. Nothing is hidden. Nothing is padded. Pasta anchors the menu and is handled correctly. Ravioli and tagliatelle arrive al dente, with fillings built around ricotta, greens, and seafood rather than weighty sauces. 

Duel of the giants: the amazing Crispy Shrimp
or the Polpettone alla Parmigiana?

The cooking shows discipline. Seasoning is precise. Sauces reduce rather than dominate. The plates feel considered, not assembled. Main courses continue that control. Fish is cooked accurately and finished simply. Meat, when present, functions as part of a composition rather than a blunt centerpiece. Garnishes are purposeful. There is no visual excess and no sense the kitchen is performing for a camera. Desserts follow the same philosophy. 

Speaking of dessert (above) a panna cotta or a properly structured tiramisu ends the meal without sugar overload or theatrics. The wine list supports the food, emphasizing balance and acidity over novelty. 

 What makes Sallva notable is not innovation or spectacle, but consistency. In a city better known for ministries than menus, it delivers thoughtful, serious cooking. 

Brasília may sit outside the usual culinary conversation, but this kitchen proves it deserves a place in it. 

Specialty of the house: filet and gnocchi: superb

Sallva Bar e Ristorante is located at Pontão do Lago Sul in Brasília on the shore of Lago Paranoá (above) , with outdoor seating and lake views that many visitors describe as part of the dining experience. It’s right on the waterfront at the Pontão, a popular leisure and restaurant area facing the lake.

Lago Paranoá itself is manmade. It was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s by damming the Paranoá River during the construction of Brasília to form an artificial lake. Today it stretches around the city, with a shoreline of about 80 kilometers and numerous residential, recreational, and dining spots along its banks.

RETRO FILES / AVOID THE TV SERIES "SILK" BETTER YET RUN AWAY.

Silk's Rupert-Penry Jones with co-lead Maxine Peak deserve better as do audiences.

Unfinished/unprofessional series ending gives audiences reason enough to yank Brit series off the airways. 

There is a particular kind of disappointment that comes not from mediocrity, but from betrayal. 

Silk earns that distinction. 

 Forgive us if we speak ill of the dead and the yank headline pun.  Reviewers are American. 

For three seasons, Silk [2011-2014] positioned itself as a serious, intelligent British legal drama. The writing was sharp. The performances—especially from Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones—were disciplined and persuasive. The show respected the audience’s intelligence, building long arcs about ambition, ethics, gender, and the quiet brutality of professional life at the Bar. 

It asked viewers to invest time, attention, and emotional capital. And then it simply walked off the stage.  There should be a warning at the beginning of the series.

The final episode is not merely unsatisfying; it is evasive. Threads carefully laid over years are left dangling. Character journeys are abandoned mid-stride. Conflicts that demanded resolution are shrugged off with a sense of haste that borders on contempt. 

It feels less like an ending than an evacuation—cast and creators departing before the bill comes due. This is not bold ambiguity or daring restraint. It is narrative abdication. Good drama may leave questions unanswered, but it does not leave its story unfinished. 

Silk does. 

And that failure stains what came before it. What makes the collapse sting is how avoidable it was. The series had all the tools to land properly: a seasoned cast, a literate audience, and a world already built. 

Instead, it chose to stop rather than conclude, confusing abruptness for sophistication. British television has long prided itself on strong endings, even when they are bleak. Silk breaks (no, it shames) that tradition, and not in a way worth defending. 

Viewers who stayed faithful deserved better. 

Maybe, even the actors. 

A series that once argued persuasively for integrity ends by abandoning its own. That is bad form—and a reminder that no matter how fine the cloth, it still has to be finished at the edges. 

Perhaps, some day--if anyone really cares, will there be an accounting as to what happened to "Silk?" Prime time actors like Maxine Peake and Rupert-Penry Jones were part of the abandonment.  They and series producers owe us an explanation since the series is still on the air.  

TUESDAY THINK PIECE / FANTASY OR REALITY ACCORDING TO FREDDIE MERCURY

“Is this the real life? 

Is this just fantasy?” 

That opening question in Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a philosophical thesis so much as an emotional doorway. What Freddie Mercury was doing there was deliberately unsettling the listener. From the first breath, he puts us inside a mind that no longer trusts its own footing. 

“Reality” versus “fantasy” isn’t about metaphysics; it’s about psychological dislocation. The speaker feels detached from the normal rules of consequence, time, and identity. 

Several things are going on at once. 

First, confession. The lyric sounds like someone waking up after a shock, asking whether what’s happening can possibly be real. That primes the listener for guilt, fear, and emotional collapse. 

Second, theatrical framing. Freddie loved opera, and in opera the audience is often warned immediately that they’re entering an unreal space where emotions are heightened and logic bends. 

These lines say: suspend ordinary expectations. 

Third, denial and bargaining. The narrator is facing something unbearable. Questioning reality is a classic human reflex when responsibility or loss feels overwhelming. “If this is fantasy, maybe I can escape it.” Freddie himself repeatedly resisted literal interpretations of the song, and that’s important. He wasn’t writing a puzzle with a single solution. He was writing a mood piece about fragmentation: of self, of truth, of consequence. 

The lyric invites you into that fracture before the story even begins. So when he says “real life,” he doesn’t mean objective reality. He means emotional reality: the moment when you realize that what you’ve done, or what you are, can no longer be undone. 

It’s a brilliant hook because it asks the question we all ask at moments of reckoning, quietly or aloud: Is this really happening to me? And once that question is asked, the song owns you. 

AMERICANA / LOOK WHAT THE GROUND HOG LEFT US!

NOOOOOOOOO is right!

BREAKING NEWS / MASKED MEN WHO SHOT ALEX PRESSI IDENTIFIED

Ten Bullets Kill U.S. citizen Alex Pretti *

Founded in 2007, ProPublica.org is a nonprofit Pulitzer Prize winning newsroom that investigates abuses of power. On Sunday it published the names of the two federal immigration agents involved in the fatal shooting of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti.  ProPublica believes there are few investigations that deserve more sunlight and public scrutiny than this one, in which two masked agents fired 10 shots at Pretti as he lay on the ground after being pepper-sprayed. 

 The Department of Justice said it is investigating the incident, but the names of the two agents have been withheld from Congress and from state and local law enforcement. The policy of shielding officers’ identities, particularly after a public shooting, is a stark departure from standard law enforcement protocols, according to lawmakers, state attorneys general and former federal officials. Such secrecy, in our view, deprives the public of the most fundamental tool for accountability. 

GUEST BLOG /By J. David McSwane, writer ProPublica.org--The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. 

The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly encounter last weekend that left Pretti dead and ignited massive protests and calls for criminal investigations. 

Both men were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement dragnet launched in December that sent scores of armed and masked agents across the city. CBP, which employs both men, has so far refused to release their names and has disclosed few other facts about the deadly incident, which came days after a different immigration agent shot and killed another Minneapolis protester, a 37-year-old mother of three named Renee Good. 

Pretti’s killing, and the subsequent secrecy surrounding the agents involved, comes as the country confronts the consequences of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The sweeps in cities across the country have been marked by scenes of violence, against immigrants and U.S. citizens, by agents allowed to hide their identities with masks — an almost unheard of practice in law enforcement. As a result, the public has been kept from one of the chief ways it has to hold officers involved in such altercations accountable: their identity. 

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for a transparent investigation into the killing of Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse working at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. “We must have a transparent, independent investigation into the Minnesota shooting, and those responsible—no matter their title—must be held accountable,” Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah wrote on X on Monday. 

The agency sent a notice to some members of Congress on Tuesday acknowledging that two agents fired Glock pistols during the altercation that left Pretti dead. 

That notice does not include the agents’ names. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, said the agents had been placed on leave after the Jan. 24 shooting. And after a week of protests and calls from lawmakers for a review, the Justice Department said Friday that its Civil Rights Division is investigating the shooting. 

A DOJ spokesperson did not answer questions, including whether DHS has shared materials, such as body-camera footage, with its investigators. 

Ochoa is a Border Patrol agent who joined CBP in 2018. 

Gutierrez joined in 2014 and works for CBP’s Office of Field Operations. He is assigned to a special response team, which conducts high-risk operations like those of police SWAT units. 

Records show both men are from South Texas. In the aftermath of the shooting, Gregory Bovino, who has orchestrated high-intensity immigration sweeps and arrests in a string of Democratic-led cities since early 2025, was removed from his role as Border Patrol commander at large and reassigned to his former post in El Centro, California. 

A spokesperson for DHS declined to answer questions about the two agents and referred ProPublica to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment. ProPublica made several attempts to call Ochoa and Gutierrez but neither answered. 

Ochoa, who goes by Jesse, graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American with a degree in criminal justice, according to his ex-wife, Angelica Ochoa. A longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley, Ochoa had for years dreamed of working for the Border Patrol and finally landed a job there, she said. 

By the time the couple split in 2021, he had become a gun enthusiast with about 25 rifles, pistols and shotguns, Angelica Ochoa said. DHS’ disclosure to Congress was drawn from an internal review of the agents’ body-camera footage, which has not been released to the public.

 State investigators, meanwhile, have accused their federal counterparts of blocking them from investigating the shooting. FBI agents work at the scene of the Pretti shooting. 

“We don’t have any information on the shooters,” a Minneapolis city spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that his office also had “not been given the names, and we don’t have any new information on the investigation.” 

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi Monday, accused the Justice Department of covering up evidence in both Pretti’s and Good’s killings. “DOJ has also blocked prosecutors and agents from cooperating with state law enforcement officials and prevented state officials from accessing evidence,” the letter said. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN on Sunday that immigration agents should not be masked. “They should not be anonymous. They should be identifiable. And they have to have rules of engagement that don’t allow them to terrorize and intimidate, harass and assault U.S. citizens and other people,” he said. 

The notice to Congress said that the shooting happened when Pretti resisted arrest after officers were unable to get him and a female protester out of the street. The CBP officer “attempted to move the woman and Pretti out of the roadway. The woman and Pretti did not move,” the report reads. “CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued.” According to the report, one agent then yelled “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, and two others “discharged” their Glock pistols. In videos widely shared online, Pretti can be seen holding up a phone, documenting the movements of federal agents and officers as they roamed the streets of a popular food and arts district. 

According to news reports, Pretti was concerned about the increasingly volatile siege of the city by federal agents. In the videos, a masked agent appears to knock a woman to the ground. Pretti comes to her aid, getting between them, at which point the officer deploys pepper spray at his face. 

Two agents then grab Pretti and pull him to the ground, while more federal personnel pile on. During the struggle, the agents unleash a series of shots — approximately 10 — as onlookers scream. 

Pretti was armed at the time of the encounter with a legally owned handgun, according to state and federal officials. Some analyses of bystander video appear to show a federal agent taking Pretti’s gun from his hip before the first shots were fired. The agents’ masks and the chaos of the altercation make it difficult to differentiate one from another. 

Those videos appear to contradict the claims by Bovino and other officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, that Pretti had come to attack agents. “The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted,” Bovino said in a Jan. 25 news conference. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots.” 

In the initial aftermath, Stephen Miller, a top Trump aide and a leading force behind the immigration enforcement operations, called Pretti “a would-be assassin.” But Miller changed tack later in the week when he said in a statement that CBP officers “may not have been following” protocol related to confronting bystanders. 

Additional video has surfaced showing Pretti in another altercation with federal agents 11 days before he was killed. The video shows Pretti yelling at the agents, who get in an SUV and start to drive away. Pretti then kicks out the taillight of the vehicle and the agents, who wore protective masks, jump out and tackle him to the ground. It is unclear if any of the same agents were involved in both incidents. 

Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project, said that many local and state police departments are “much more transparent” than CBP when officers shoot people. “More and more police departments are choosing to release bodycam footage or dashcam footage within a couple of days.” Gil Kerlikowske, a former CBP commissioner, told ProPublica that it’s difficult to draw conclusions from the chaos in bystander videos. Still, he said, the shooting might have been prevented. 

Pretti’s attempt to help the woman knocked to the ground could have been seen as interfering with federal law enforcement, he said. But the decision by the officers to immediately use pepper spray created a chaotic scene that likely contributed to Pretti’s death. “The other agent could have said ‘don’t interfere’ or ‘stand back,’” Kerlikowske said. “Rather than move immediately to pepper spray, you can arrest the person.” It’s part of a pattern, he said, of federal officers jumping straight to use of force in situations that could have been de-escalated but instead create danger for both agents and their targets. 

Pretti’s death, and the federal government’s characterization of the event, sparked immediate protests, spurring thousands of people to go out into frigid conditions in Minneapolis and other American cities. The shooting has also drawn intense criticism from political leaders, including Walz, who has promised his state’s law enforcement will conduct its own criminal investigation. 

* New York Times image of both shooters added to this report by PillartoPost.org

SUNDAY SAVORS / AMERICA'S BEAUTIFUL NEW RESTAURANTS

Robb Report’s annual restaurant design issue cast a wide net last year, surveying newly opened restaurants across the country where architecture, interior design, and atmosphere were treated with the same seriousness as the food. From coastal California to Manhattan, from Chicago to Washington, D.C., the editors identified twenty-one new American restaurants that stood apart for visual ambition, craftsmanship, and a clear point of view. But only 15 had complete address info at press time (and were not listed here). 

Bar Issi, Palm Springs, California. Bar Issi [pictured, above), leans unapologetically into Italian-inflected 1970s glamour. Saturated colors, patterned walls, and playful furnishings create a theatrical environment that feels perfectly suited to Palm Springs’ mid-century lineage without lapsing into nostalgia. 414 N Palm Canyon Drive, Suite F, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (442) 334-2405 thebarissi.com 

ABC Kitchens, DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York. Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Brooklyn outpost brings a layered, old-world sensibility to a former industrial space on the waterfront. Antique chandeliers, stained glass, and textured surfaces soften the scale of the room while preserving its architectural muscle, creating a setting that feels both elegant and grounded. 55 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 586-5027 abckitchensdumbo.com 

Lilo, Carlsbad, California. Housed in a converted boogie-board factory, Lilo, above, moves fluidly between indoor and outdoor spaces. Natural light, garden views, and understated materials align the architecture closely with Southern California’s relaxed yet intentional dining culture. 2571 Roosevelt Street, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (442) 303-8245 restaurantlilo.com 

Cafe Zaffri, New York City. Designed as two distinct dining environments, Cafe Zaffri moves effortlessly from light-filled daytime warmth to intimate evening glow. Patterned walls, handcrafted details, and thoughtful lighting echo Levantine influences while remaining distinctly contemporary. 16 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003 (212) 302-4040 cafezaffri.com 

Crying Tiger, Chicago, Illinois. Bold Southeast Asian flavors are matched by an assertive interior design at Crying Tiger. Rich colors, custom murals, and dramatic lighting give the space energy and movement while maintaining a polished, urban edge. 51 West Hubbard Street, Chicago, IL 60654 cryingtiger.com 

Cento Raw Bar, Los Angeles, California. Cento Raw Bar, above, plays with organic curves and marine references, creating the sensation of dining inside a sculpted shell. The whimsical geometry and soft lighting reinforce the restaurant’s seafood focus without drifting into coastal cliché. 4919 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 795-0330 cento.group 

Huso, New York City. Huso favors restraint over spectacle. Oak tones, curved banquettes, and muted colors create a calm, almost residential atmosphere that places the emphasis squarely on the tasting-menu experience and the rhythm of the meal. 323A Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013 (917) 891-1837 husony.com 

Limusina, New York City. Limusina’s interior is exuberant and celebratory, defined by saturated reds, gold accents, and dramatic chandeliers. The visual energy mirrors the restaurant’s modern Mexican menu and high-spirited approach to dining. 441 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10001 (212) 970-8838 limusinanyc.com 

Via Aurelia, San Francisco, California. Named for the ancient Roman road, Via Aurelia (pictured, above), channels Tuscan warmth through plaster walls, stone accents, and earthy tones. The design feels timeless rather than trendy, grounding the restaurant in classical Mediterranean sensibility. 300 Toni Stone Crossing, San Francisco, CA 94158 (415) 875-9781 viaaureliasf.com 

Lucia, Los Angeles, California. Lucia draws on Afro-Caribbean influences through sculptural forms, towering palm motifs, and plush textures. The immersive interior feels rhythmic and transportive, designed to engage the senses without overwhelming the table. 351 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (213) 800-0048 luciala.com 

Marcus DC, Washington, D.C. Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s flagship restaurant doubles as a cultural space, featuring commissioned works from artists across the African diaspora. The layered interior feels civic, celebratory, and deeply personal, reinforcing the restaurant’s sense of place. 222 M Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 (202) 280-2288 marcusdc.com/marcus-dc 

Musaafer NYC, New York City. Inspired by the historic Silk Road, Musaafer’s interiors draw from Indian architectural traditions. Ornate finishes, mirrored surfaces, and carefully curated lighting create a richly layered sense of journey throughout the space. 133 Duane Street, New York, NY 10013 (212) 605-0444 musaaferrestaurants.com/nyc 

Obvio, New York City. Blending restaurant, lounge, and nightlife, Obvio embraces a neo-noir aesthetic. Dark tones, patterned fabrics, and low lighting create a cinematic mood that evolves as the evening unfolds. 3 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016 (347) 227-2707 obvionyc.com 

Yamada, New York City Yamada is built around a single Hinoki wood counter, embracing Japanese principles of simplicity and craftsmanship. The spare, quiet interior places complete focus on technique, precision, and the experience of the meal itself. 16 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10013 (646) 429-8759 yamadanewyork.com 

Lucien, La Jolla, California. Lucien, below, is defined by contrast. Guests pass from a serene garden setting into a darker, cave-like dining room where wood, stone, and shadow create intimacy and drama that echo the precision of its tasting menu. 7863 Girard Avenue, Suite 308, La Jolla, CA 92037 (619) 786-3082 luciensd.com 

AMERICANA / "STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS" IN THE WINTER OF 2026

"STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS" 

By Bruce Springsteen

Official Lyric Video: Directed by Thom Zimny Edited by Thom Zimny and Samuel Shapiro Production Footage: Pam Springsteen and Thom Zimny.

WATCH AND LISTEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDaPdpwA4Iw

Streets of Minneapolis in the winter of twenty-six

FRIDAY FILM / PEEK AT MARGOT ROBBIE'S WUTHERING HEIGHTS WITH A BIT OF ADVANCE SPICE FROM DIRECTOR EMERALD FENNELL

Here’s a quick preview of the upcoming Wuthering Heights film starring Margot Robbie.  The new version is directed by Emerald Fennell and box offices open February 13-14, 2026 — a Valentine’s Day weekend release aimed at audiences seeking a passionate and dramatic interpretation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic. 

Top Cast 

• Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw

• Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff 

• Hong Chau as Nelly Dean 

• Shazad Latif as Edgar Linton 

• Alison Oliver as Isabella Linton 

• Martin Clunes as Mr. Earnshaw 

• Ewan Mitchell as Hindley Earnshaw 

* Young versions of Cathy and Heathcliff are played by Charlotte Mellington and Owen Cooper, respectively.

Director and Creative Team Emerald Fennell, LEFT, acclaimed for Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, wrote and directed this adaptation. Robbie is also producing through her LuckyChap Entertainment. 

Filming Location Principal photography took place in the United Kingdom, with extensive location shooting in the Yorkshire Dales (including Arkengarthdale and Swaledale) to capture the moody moorland setting integral to Brontë’s story. 

Additional work was at Sky Studios Elstree. Wikipedia 

Is There Pre-Debut Controversy? Yes. The film has become a polarizing topic online even before its release: 

• Some criticize the casting choices, particularly Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, because the novel implies Heathcliff’s outsider, non-white background while Elordi is fair-skinned, and because Robbie, in her 30s, plays a character who’s a teenager in the book.  

• There’s debate over the film’s stylistic direction and marketing, including its steamy trailers and visuals that some say stray from traditional interpretations of the gothic romance. 

• Some early viewers have expressed frustration over perceived whitewashing and historical detail choices (like costume or music). Robbie and Fennell have both publicly acknowledged the conversations and urged audiences to wait for the full film before making final judgments. 

 One more note: Wuthering Heights is firmly in the public domain, which means no single era, critic, or constituency owns a definitive interpretation. Public-domain status exists precisely to give artists the freedom to revisit, reframe, and even challenge the original work without permission or constraint. 

Each adaptation becomes a conversation with Emily Brontë rather than a museum piece under glass. Some interpretations will resonate, others will provoke disagreement, but that tension is the engine of cultural longevity. 

The fact that Wuthering Heights continues to invite reinvention nearly two centuries later is not a failure of fidelity—it is proof of the novel’s enduring power. 

For those generationally challenged (ignorance) here's a big of informity: Wuthering is a dialect word from northern England, particularly Yorkshire, and it means to bluster, roar, or howl violently, most often in reference to wind and weather. In Bronte's Wuthering Heights, the word captures more than climate. It describes a place perpetually battered by harsh winds on exposed moorland, but it also functions symbolically. “Wuthering” suggests turbulence, unrest, and emotional violence—the same qualities that define the novel’s characters and their relationships. 

The house itself seems shaped by the wind, just as the people inside are shaped by obsession, pride, and unresolved passion. Emily Brontë chose the term deliberately. It signals from the title onward that this is not a gentle pastoral romance, but a story driven by elemental forces—natural and human—that refuse to be calmed. 

ENCORE.

Adding the 2026 adaptation by director Fennell brings the redux tally up another notch, Other notable film adaptations of Wuthering Heights include: * Wuthering Heights (1920 silent film) • Wuthering Heights (1939) starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier • Abismos de Pasión (1954, Spanish-language version) • Wuthering Heights (1970) starring Timothy Dalton • Hurlevent (1985, French) • Onimaru (Arashi ga oka) (1988, Japanese) • Hihintayin Kita sa Langit (1991, Filipino) • Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1992) starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche • The Promise (2007, Filipino) • Wuthering Heights (2011) directed by Andrea Arnold • Wuthering Heights (2022) directed by Bryan Ferriter  

AMERICANA / THE UN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT

The new America on January 24, 2026

GUEST BLOG / By Maureen Dowd, Opinion Columnist, New York Times reporting from Washington DC--I saw the charismatic Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda lead the National Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, in a program called “Songs of Destiny & Fate.” The Brahms, Bach and Vivaldi were a soothing tonic to President Trump’s soundtrack, which is akin to the stabbing, shrieking Bernard Herrmann score for Hitchcock’s “Psycho” shower scene. 

The concert began with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Even before Trump blasphemously interloped onto the Kennedy Center’s name, Horrible Trump Culture War Enforcer Ric Grenell had dictated that all National Symphony Orchestra concerts begin with the national anthem. 

I’m always happy to put my hand on my heart and listen to the ode to our flag and this “heav’n rescued land.” My father always had an American flag flying and took it down at sundown as a sign of respect, which was the custom then. When I won a Pulitzer, New York’s very cool senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, sent me a flag that had flown over the Capitol, which I cherish. 

 But it felt tinny to be force-fed “The Star-Spangled Banner” by our solipsistic president and his creepy sycophants, who show nothing but disdain for the Constitution and American values. It was our country’s destiny to reflect ideals that made us an incandescent beacon for democracy. 

But Trump has pulverized those ideals. We are now seen as sinister, selfish, unruly and at everybody’s throat. 

Jack Smith’s testimony before Congress on Thursday was a stinging reminder that Trump tried to overthrow the government and wickedly put lawmakers and his own vice president in harm’s way. “Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan. 6, that it was foreseeable to him and that he sought to exploit the violence,” Smith said. 

It is heartbreaking that on the cusp of our 250th anniversary, we have a president who is perverting all the values our country was founded on — looking out for one another, respecting one another’s rights. America is not supposed to be a place where an angel-faced 5-year-old named Liam, with a floppy-eared hat and a Spider-Man backpack, gets seized and taken to a detention center by men in masks. 

 The American leader is meant to be a unifier, a strong and soothing presence in the world. Trump is an anarchic toddler, constantly causing upheaval across the globe, transgressing and remaking everything in his helter-skelter image. He has no interest in fireside chats; he wants to set fires. He’s more about droit du seigneur than noblesse oblige. He feels entitled to whatever he wants, from Greenland to Canada to the Kennedy Center to a Nobel Prize he didn’t win. 

Unlike previous presidents, he isn’t countering Russia; he’s catering to it. He disparaged the NATO troops who died for us in Afghanistan and belittled our nicest neighbor, claiming that “Canada lives because of the United States.” 

Demanding Greenland, which he kept calling Iceland, he whinged to global leaders at Davos: “All I want is a piece of ice.” The depth of his shallowness is infinite. One Canadian columnist asked: “How would Trump behave differently if he was legitimately losing his mind?” 

I understand the importance of legal immigration. My Irish father fought in the infantry in World War I to earn his citizenship. Nobody wants illegal criminals here. President Joe Biden let the border run amok. But in the new New York Times/Siena University poll, a sizable majority said ICE had gone too far. 

Trump responded by saying he would expand his lawsuit against The Times to include the poll, because his rampaging vanity cannot accept falling numbers; the poll indicated that 42 percent of voters said he was ramping up to be one of the worst presidents in American history. We have watched in horror as Minneapolis has morphed into an eerie war zone: ICE claiming that its officers are allowed to barge into people’s homes without judicial warrants; an ICE agent shooting an unarmed mom with stuffed animals in her glove compartment three times until she was dead; ICE dragging a Minnesota man — a Hmong immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen with no criminal record — out of his house into the snow, wearing only underwear and Crocs; ICE detaining four children, including little Liam, from one school district. (An F.B.I. agent who wanted to investigate the ICE agent who shot the mom resigned after bureau officials told her to stop her inquiry.) 

“Why detain a 5-year-old?” a flustered Zena Stenvik, the town’s superintendent, keened at a press conference. It is clear the Trump crowd sees no difference between a criminal who crossed into the country illegally and a family that has applied for asylum and is doing everything the right way to stay here. 

My parents inculcated us with patriotism and gratitude for this country. I grew up surrounded by men in uniform. My mother carried around a pocket-size Constitution in her purse, along with miniature bottles of Tabasco. She did not want to see us on July 4 if we were not in red, white and blue. I know what America is meant to stand for. 

Trump has made America un-American. 

SHOT IN THE BACK!

 

Shooter of the first shot into Alex Pressi's back

WHO ARE THESE EIGHT MEN SURROUNDING ALEX PRETTI?

AMERICANA / PISSED OFF PEOPLE OUR WINTER OF DISCONTENT

 

MEDIA MONDAY / NEW YORK TIMES: EYEWITNESS COVERAGE TO MURDER ON AN AMERICAN STREET.

Timeline: A Moment by Moment Look at the Shooting of American citizen Alex Pretti 

GUEST BLOG / By Bora Erden, Devon Lum, Helmuth Rosales, Elena Shao and Haley Willis, The New York Times. 

Federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, at about 9 a.m. Central time on Saturday morning. A video shared with The New York Times by an eyewitness and her lawyer, as well as other video footage posted on social media, documents the violent scene, where agents appear to fire at least 10 shots in a span of only five seconds. 

The footage seems to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the event, which the agency said began after the victim approached the federal agents with a handgun and the intent to “massacre” them. 

Videos show a small group of civilians standing in the middle of a street where a person has recently been detained on the ground; the civilians are speaking to federal agents. Mr. Pretti appears to be filming the scene, and he walks closer to the federal agents while holding his phone. 

Leading up to this moment, one agent shoved two people away from a D.H.S. vehicle and into the street. Mr. Pretti attempted to put himself between the D.H.S. agent and the two civilians, and the agent pushed one of them to the ground. The video shows the same agent squirting pepper spray in the direction of Mr. Pretti’s face. (This agent will later fire shots at Mr. Pretti.) Mr. Pretti is holding his phone in one hand, and he holds his other hand up to protect against the spray. 

Several agents grab at Mr. Pretti, who is still holding his phone. Additional agents approach and attempt to pin Mr. Pretti to the ground. 

Mr. Pretti is surrounded by a group of seven agents, some of whom have wrestled him to the ground. One of the agents, who wears a gray coat, begins to approach the fray with empty hands and grabs at Mr. Pretti, while the other agents hold him down on his knees. At the same time, another agent strikes Mr. Pretti repeatedly with a pepper spray canister. 

The agent in the gray coat appears to pull a gun from near Mr. Pretti’s right hip. He then begins to move away from the skirmish with the recovered weapon. At the same time, another agent unholsters his firearm and points it at Mr. Pretti’s back. 

The agent in the gray coat removes the weapon, which matches the profile of a gun D.H.S. says belonged to Mr. Pretti, from the scene. Then, while Mr. Pretti is on his knees and restrained, the agent standing directly above him appears to fire one shot at Mr. Pretti at close range. He immediately fires three additional shots. 

Two agents who fired shots

Several agents have moved away from Mr. Pretti, who has collapsed. Another agent — the same one who shoved the civilians into the street and pepper-sprayed Mr. Pretti — unholsters his gun and fires at Mr. Pretti. The first agent also fires additional shots. Together, they fire six more shots at Mr. Pretti while he lies motionless on the ground. At least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds. By the moment of the 10th shot, the agent who had moved away with the recovered weapon has crossed the street. 

Smoking Guns.

Mr. Pretti is the second person to have been shot and killed by a federal agent in Minnesota in recent weeks. Footage of Mr. Pretti’s death in Minneapolis was posted to social media almost immediately after the shooting. The Homeland Security Department said that the episode began after a man approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun, and that an agent fired “defensive shots.” 

Another incident in Minneapolis this month, in which a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by a federal agent, was also characterized as “defensive” by the department. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota disputed the claims by federal officials that Mr. Pretti had posed a threat. He accused “the most powerful people in the federal government” of “spinning stories and putting up pictures.” Brian O’Hara, the chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, said that Mr. Pretti was an American citizen with no criminal record, and that he had a valid firearms permit. 

Under Minnesota law, citizens can legally carry a handgun in public, without concealment, if they have a permit. Large crowds of protesters continued to gather throughout the day at the site of Mr. Pretti’s shooting. 

Later on that Saturday, Mr. Walz authorized the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard, who will wear neon reflective vests to differentiate themselves from federal agents. 

* Excellent breaking news reporting and illustration of a crime scene by The New York Times. This original coverage is worthy of Pulitzer Prize(s).  Reposted with gratitude. 

ICE COLD KILLINGS MUST STOP

 

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / COLD CLIMATE, HOT COFFEE

 A coffee mug steaming beside a frost-rimmed window, the Nuuk Harbor barely visible beyond.

There is something about Nuuk, Greenland (Pop. 20,000) that encourages people to lower their voices and stay a little longer. In winter, the light lingers sideways and pale, the harbor ice creaks like an old ship, and cafés become unofficial embassies. 

Nosy blog journalists passing through, climate researchers thawing out after the field, aid workers, civil servants, and yes, the occasional intelligence type all understand the same rule here: if you want to listen, you order coffee and don’t rush it. 

In a city where everyone knows everyone, anonymity isn’t achieved by hiding, but by blending in—one cup at a time, hands wrapped around porcelain, eyes down, ears open. 

Nuuk’s best coffeehouses reward that patience. 

They are not loud, performative spaces, but warm interiors built for conversation, note-taking, and watching weather move across the windows. Coffee here is serious without being precious, and hospitality is direct, almost elemental. These are places where news travels softly, where silence is respected, and where a well-pulled espresso can feel like a small act of resistance against the cold. What follows is a short walk through three cafés that quietly define Nuuk’s daily rhythm.

 

Caffè Pascucci. With its Italian espresso roots and outdoor seating when weather allows, Caffè Pascucci is more public-facing than the others. It’s a place for quick exchanges, sharp shots of espresso, and watching Nuuk move past at street level. Less secretive, more social, it offers a different kind of warmth—the warmth of motion and visibility. 

Kaffivik. Near the heart of downtown Nuuk, Kaffivik roasts its own beans and decorates its walls with work by a local Inuit artist, giving the space a sense of authorship rather than branding. It feels lived-in, not curated. Conversations tend to stay low and unhurried, and it’s the sort of place where people read the same book for weeks. The coffee is confident and consistent, and the welcome feels genuine rather than transactional. 

Café Neko. Inside the Nuuk Center, Café Neko (above) is clean, calm, and quietly dependable. The minimalist interior invites lingering without pressure, making it popular with locals who want to sit, think, or work without being noticed. It’s often cited as the city’s most reliable all-around café—strong coffee, friendly service, and an atmosphere that never competes with your thoughts.

FAREWELL FRIDAY / CITY'S WAR WITH ITS OWN HISTORY

After. City's gutted preservation spirit allowed demolition of 1912 craftsman style bungalow in Mission Hills despite large outcry from citizens and preservationists.  City's lack of sensitivity to preservation is highlighted once again by historic leadership past and present.

"A Breakdown in Collaboration" - Former City Officials Sound Alarm on Dysfunctional Management of San Diego’s Preservation Program 

 SAN DIEGO, CA - January 7, 2026 - A coalition of 17 former staff leaders and board members of the San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB) has issued a formal letter to City leadership (read here), charging that the City’s Historical Resources Program has become professionally isolated and administratively dysfunctional. The group is calling for immediate administrative reform to restore the transparency and collaborative spirit that once defined San Diego’s preservation efforts. 

 The signatories, which include retired senior planners, former board chairs, and a past State Historic Preservation Officer, argue that the program now managed within the Development Services Department has lost the independence and transparency that once defined it. 

 The group highlights a critical shift in departmental culture: 

• Loss of Public Collaboration. Former officials cite growing concerns regarding "diminishing communication and collaboration" between HRB staff and the public, noting that the principles of openness and mutual respect that once fostered confidence in the process have been replaced by administrative barriers and a loss of meaningful review. 

• Operational Inefficiency. Despite having more staff than in decades past, the program is currently processing only a fraction of the resources it once handled. 

• Administrative Red Tape. The length of designation reports has been allowed to balloon to over 160 pages, creating "administrative barriers" that drive up costs for the public without improving effectiveness. 

• Erosion of Expert Input. The letter protests the administrative decision to relegate the Design Assistance Subcommittee to a purely advisory role, removing a key mechanism for ensuring quality preservation outcomes. 

• Conflicting Priorities. The letter notes that the department’s current focus appears to prioritize new construction at the expense of community character and environmental stewardship. "We served during a period when the City’s preservation program was defined by its effectiveness, fairness, and spirit of collaboration," the letter states. "By recalling these productive partnerships—built on trust, access, and shared purpose—we urge a renewed commitment to these values." 

 The former officials urge the Mayor and City Council to address these administrative and staffing issues to ensure the long-term vitality of San Diego’s historic resources. 

Before: Red tape sinks Red Bungalow

THE FOODIST / AMBITIOUS MUSEUM CAFETERIA

 

A Mesa do CAM, a farm to table success story via CulinaryBackstreets.com 

 GUEST BLOG / By Austin Bush--At Rua Marques de Fronteira 2, in Lisbon, Portugal, we didn’t expect to find one of Lisbon’s most radical kitchens behind a self-service counter and a line of people holding trays. But that’s exactly the trick A Mesa do CAM plays on visitors. It may look like a museum cafeteria, but upon closer inspection (and a few bites), it reveals itself as one of the most ambitious farm-to-table projects in the Portuguese capital. 

The space, above, sits inside the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum’s renovated Centro de Arte Moderna (or CAM). At first glance, the setup seems familiar. A long counter with prepared foods, trays, a dish of the day with a Portuguese tilt, and customizable bowls. 

Guests then carry their trays to the restaurant’s black, curiously asymmetrical tables, a hint that A Mesa do CAM is a different kind of museum eatery. Mesa means “table” in Portuguese, and these surfaces, designed by architect Kengo Kuma (who also oversaw the museum’s renovations), each have a different footprint. When slotted together in a specific configuration, they form a single oversized table used for events. 

A Mesa do CAM is overseen by Craveiral Farmhouse, a sustainable farm and hotel in the Alentejo, who brought in chef-restaurateur André Magalhães (of Taberna da Rua das Flores fame) to make the project pop. The mission: serve food quickly without sacrificing quality, all while staying faithful to Craveiral’s circular, zero-waste philosophy. 

 “Everything that comes from the farm is transported in electric cars,” Magalhães says. “And then, those same cars take back all of the organic stuff that’s generated here.” The compost then enriches the soil at the farm, and the cycle begins again. Even the ceramic dishes, made by Studio Neves, follow sustainable production methods. There are no paper cups, no single-use anything. Napkins are made of fabric and take-away containers just aren’t part of the equation. 

In addition to the cafeteria, Magalhães has also created an a la carte menu, meaning the space can serve as a quick museum pit stop or a dining venue – or both at once. To match this flexibility, Magalhães developed dishes grounded in Portuguese gastronomy, with occasional forays into Spanish and Japanese cuisines. ”The public is super eclectic,” he said. “We have to please foreigners who aren’t very familiar with Portuguese food, but also locals. It’s a balance that’s hard to achieve.” 

We sat down with Magalhães on a weekday afternoon, when he walked us through nearly the entire menu, which is available during lunch from Thursday to Monday, and at dinner from Thursday to Sunday (on Saturdays, the museum is open until 9PM). A common thread at A Mesa do CAM is vegetables. 

Working closely with Craveiral Farmhouse and other small producers in Portugal, Magalhães has created a menu that positively pops with greens, oranges, reds, and other vegetal hues depending on the time of year. Garden Vegetables with Fermented Sauce is the dish that probably best expresses this: seasonal produce briefly grilled, then coated in a silky, deliciously savory sauce made from vegetable broth (using peels and off-cuts) and a sourdough starter 

 

The Creamy Garden Vegetable Rice carries the same spirit, as does a simple but bold Caesar Salad. Even the meatier dishes hinge on greens: the carb element of Pork Belly with Vinhais-Style Couscous and Turnip Greens boasts a practically emerald hue, and the smoky Sirloin Steak shines thanks to what may be Lisbon’s most vibrant esparregado, the local take on creamed spinach. 

 Some dishes go beyond Portugal, such as the Russian Salad with Ajitama Egg and Anchovies, which tastes like something we might order at a bar in Madrid, while the Cod “Brás” Style with Olive Powder is one of the better versions we’ve had of this domestic staple in Lisbon. 

But the dish that stopped us completely was a dessert: Gatnabour, a rice pudding from Armenia reimagined as a tribute to Calouste Gulbenkian, the museum’s namesake, who was ethnically Armenian. Cardamom and other spices rush forward first, followed by the zing of acidic fruit, the richness of milk, and a balanced sweetness from date and pomegranate molasses. The first bite felt electric and we left thinking it might just be one of the best desserts in Lisbon.