Halloween Celebrations for Kids

Fairy Tale Trail. The Woman’s Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago Ave., will hold its annual Fairy Tale Trail from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m on Oct. 27. The trail is fully accessible for all children; admission is $7/kids and $3/adults.

Celebrate Halloween safely this year at one of the many events sponsored by the City of Evanston’s Recreation Division. For youth, the fun begins early with Halloween Spooky Daze 6:00-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, 1655 Foster St. This drop-in party for those aged 4-12 includes a costume parade, games, clowns, magic show and refreshments. Everything is free. For more details, call 847-448-8254.

For families, the Evanston Ecology Center holds their annual Bug-a-Boo Halloween walk on Oct. 27, at the Ladd Arboretum. This year’s theme is "Lunar Legends." Walks take off at 20-minute intervals from 4 to 6:40 p.m. from the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. This family-friendly holiday event features an outdoor Halloween trail with friendly costumed characters along the way and snacks indoors at trail’s end. The cost is $4/person. Reservations are required; call 847-448-8256.

The Robert Crown Center, 1701 Main St., hosts two holiday parties. A Halloween Skate will be held 6-7:15 p.m. on Oct. 30, on the studio rink. The first 50 people who come in costume will skate for free, skate rental included.

Then on Halloween, Oct. 31, preschoolers will have their own party starting at 11:30 a.m., complete with free games, prizes, activities and snacks. Costumes are welcome but not required. For more details, call 847-448-8258.

Trick-or-Treat Hours
Mayor Lorraine Morton has designated 4-7 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31, as official trick-or-treating hours for the City of Evanston.

Classic Halloween Film at the Library
Get a Halloween fix with the classic film version of "The Haunting" (Not Rated; 1963; 112 min) at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.

Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel "The Haunting of Hill House," the movie features a team of parapsychologists who attempt to learn the secret of Hill House, a haunted house. It soon becomes apparent that the house has targeted one member of the group (Julie Harris) who has a childhood history of supernatural experiences. A barrage of strange and terrifying occurrences ensues. "The Haunting," directed by Robert Wise is a truly scary movie that needs no monsters to create maximum fear. The black-and- white film also stars Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. Free and open to the public.

Literature As Legacy

Library Storytelling Room Honors Late D65 Teacher

By Victoria Scott

JoAnn Wilkin, left and Bette Mitchell, members of the committee that raised $25,000, attended the Evanston Public Library dedication of the storytelling room.

Until last summer, story hours at the Evanston Public Library were held in a computer lab, says Kate Todd, administrative assistant to library director Neal Ney.

With the Sept. 23 dedication of the Barbara Friedberg Storytelling Room in the redesigned children's library, that changed.

The room, a quiet space in an otherwise bustling area, features state-of-the-art audio and video equipment. Yet for all its modern technology, the room returns storytelling to its simplest form: an adult telling stories to children, completely dependent on their imaginations, says Mr. Ney, who calls storytelling, "the first form of virtual reality."

Ellen Esrick, who came up with the idea of a place to honor her late friend and colleague, spoke at the dedication of the Barbara Friedberg Storytelling Room.

Built with funds raised by a committee of the late Ms. Friedberg's teaching peers, the room can accommodate ongoing story programming as well as special visits to the library, says head children's librarian Janice Bojda. She was awaiting two classes of 4-year-olds from The School for Little Children booked for the room one morning last week.

Committee members see the room as a fitting tribute to its namesake, a longtime King Lab School teacher who was committed to bringing literature to children; Mr. Ney sees it as a "high level of recognition for an adored teacher."

"Barb came to work with a satchel of books for kids," says Vikki Proctor, a committee member and former colleague of Ms. Friedberg at King Lab. "She put books in the hands of kids."

When Ms. Friedberg died in August 2005, Ellen Esrick was among those mourning the loss of a colleague she calls "an amazing person." The idea of the storytelling room occurred to Ms. Esrick one day when she was swimming. She brought it to library personnel, who estimated the cost of building the room at $25,000 and gave Ms. Esrick the green light.

Ms. Esrick formed a committee of willing fundraisers, including herself and Ms. Proctor, Barbara Holloway, Bette Mitchell, Joann Wilkin and the late Alice Krieman.

Searching through old yearbooks to find parents and students Ms. Friedberg had touched, they collected more than 180 donations, $5 and up, to reach their goal. The fund drive itself was "very therapeutic for the committee," says Ms. Esrick, allowing them to share contributors' notes about Barbara's influence on their lives.

Joann Wilkin remembers Ms. Friedberg's early days in District 65, where they taught together. "She came to Washington School from Ohio State University in the fall of 1959," says Ms. Wilkin, "and she was immediately recognized as talented." Not long after Ms. Friedberg came, for example, she was entrusted with student teachers.

Later Ms. Friedberg was "one of the early teachers at [King Lab School when it was housed in the old] Foster School," says Ms. Wilkin, who went on to be the principal of Orrington School.

"She just had it right," says Ms. Proctor, praising Ms. Friedberg as "a very intuitive teacher who relied on her good sense" and who "trusted students and colleagues. She modeled for us all."

Ms. Proctor says Ms. Friedberg responded to the basic skills movement when it swept the education field by saying, "'I too believe in basics: literature and critical thinking.'

"The basis of her teaching," says Ms. Proctor, "was wonderful literature."

Ms. Wilkin says Ms. Friedberg maintained her connection with children's literature experts at Ohio State, collaborating with her former mentor, Charlotte Huck, on books on the subject. "She was brilliant," says Ms. Esrick, who, after she left teaching for educational consulting, continued to brainstorm with Ms. Friedberg about children's books.

Ms. Friedberg attended many conventions, says
Ms. Holloway. From one, she borrowed the comfortable image of a child curled up to read with Grandma in a rocking chair.

Soon every classroom at King Lab was equipped
with a rocker. In the primary grades, says Ms. Holloway, children signed up to read with their teacher. "The quietness of rocking, along with [the teacher's] lovely voice, helped children who had many worries," she says.

In her classroom, Ms. Friedberg sat in the rocking chair to read aloud. "She started class by sitting in the chair," says Ms. Proctor. "The kids gathered around her."

At the dedication of the storytelling room Janise Hurtig, Don Jackson, David Krieman and Lisa Disch - all former students of Ms. Friedberg - spoke about the effects of having her as a teacher.

She "[taught] children how to think and then write. She [drew] the greatest thoughts from the page," says Ms. Holloway.

"She left a wonderful legacy: She created wonderful readers," says Ms. Proctor.

Thanks to the vision and generosity of Barbara Friedberg's friends, colleagues and students, that legacy will live on in the storytelling room at the Evanston Public Library.

RoundTable Artist's Weekend Featuring Randal Huiskens

The next RoundTable Artist's Weekend, Nov. 1-3, will feature the paintings of Randal Huiskens. Mr. Huiskens studied art in Michigan and while in high school was honored to be chosen for the first Michigan Summer Institute for Gifted Students on the campus of Michigan State University in 1982. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in painting from Michigan State University in 1988. While studying at MSU, one of his paintings won the first place award for painting in the MSU Undergraduate Art Exhibition; he was also awarded a teacher's scholarship in the field of painting.

Mr. Huiskens has touched upon many styles in his career, including Cubism, Divisionism, non-objective exploration and Pop Art, and his current paintings reflect a strong Post-Impressionist influence. "My work addresses universal painting problems," says Mr. Huiskens. "Like the Post-Impressionist painters of the late 19th century, the subject of the paintings is usually still-life, which provides a perfect medium for exploring problems of depth, volume and color. I add to this the modern realization that a painter is not producing images, but is producing objects that happen to be paintings."

There will be a wine and cheese reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the Frame Warehouse.

Green stuff

Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Two Approaches

By Eleanor Revelle

Facing the growing evidence that burning fossil fuels is contributing significantly to global climate change, U.S. policymakers are beginning to evaluate strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2). They have two general approaches to consider.

Cap-and-trade
With a cap-and-trade system for CO2, policymakers set a limit on the quantity of CO2 that can be emitted in a given period. The total emissions allowed under this cap are divided into permits (e.g., one ton of CO2), representing the right to emit that amount. The permits are then allocated to the sources covered by the program (e.g., power plants). At the end of the compliance period, each source must report all emissions and surrender an equivalent number of permits.

Since the number of permits is limited, they have financial value. Companies able to reduce their emissions at low cost can sell the permits they don’t need to companies for whom the cost of reducing emissions is high. Each company has the flexibility to choose how to meet its emissions target, but market incentives encourage them to develop new, cleaner technologies. Over time, the cap is lowered to achieve more aggressive emissions-reduction targets.

Carbon tax
A carbon tax is imposed on fossil fuel suppliers at a rate that reflects the amount of carbon that will be emitted when the fuel is combusted. The tax is included in the price of the coal, oil and natural gas supplied to wholesale users and ultimately is passed on to consumers in the price of electricity, gasoline and other energy-intensive products. By raising the price of carbon-based energy, the tax creates incentives to reduce energy use, stimulates demand for more energy-efficient products, and promotes a shift to cleaner fuels and renewable energy.

Emissions certainty
The strength of the cap-and-trade approach is that it sets firm limits on emissions. The cap is set at a level designed to achieve a desired environmental outcome (e.g., reduction of CO2 emissions to 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050).

A carbon tax allows the quantity of emissions to fluctuate as the demand for energy rises or falls. Allowing emissions to vary from year to year gives firms the flexibility to abate less and pay more in taxes when abatement costs are unusually high (and vice-versa when abatement costs are low). In order to achieve climatic goals, the tax rate can be adjusted over time to attain greater emissions reductions.

Price predictability
The advantage of a carbon tax is that it fixes the price of carbon emissions. It creates a permanent incentive to reduce emissions, thereby encouraging investment in alternative fuels and energy-efficient technologies that have high up-front costs.

Under a cap-and-trade system, the price of emissions permits may vary considerably from year to year. An especially cold winter, for example, could increase the demand for energy and cause a spike in the price of permits. This volatility could weaken incentives to invest in cleaner technologies.

To address this volatility, most cap-and-trade proposals include cost-control mechanisms, some of which would allow the level of emissions to exceed the cap.
• Safety valve - establishes a ceiling on the price of permits. If the price reaches this level, the government can sell additional permits at this price to the capped entities.
• Circuit breaker - freezes a gradually declining emissions cap if the permit price rises above a predetermined level.
• Banking - allows companies to save unused allowances for future years.
• Borrowing - allows companies to borrow permits from future years and pay them back, with interest, later.
• Offsets - allow companies to cover some of their emissions by purchasing credits created by carbon mitigation projects (e.g., tree planting) from sources outside the cap-and-trade system.

Equity
Under most cap-and-trade proposals, a substantial portion of the emissions permits are to be distributed free to the capped entities. Research indicates that most of the cost of the program will be passed along in increased prices to consumers, which would disproportionately affect lower-income households.

A carbon tax directly raises substantial revenues. These could be used to fund "progressive" tax-shifting policies that would reduce the burden of higher energy costs on lower-income groups.

Simplicity and transparency
A cap-and-trade system requires new institutions (e.g., a system to allocate permits, markets where firms can buy and sell permits, a means of monitoring emissions and trades). Auctioning the permits rather than distributing them free could help promote simplicity and transparency.

A carbon tax can be levied and collected through existing institutions with experience in enforcing compliance. It is simpler and less expensive to administer and enforce than a cap-and-trade system. Its underlying premise-the price of energy should include environmental costs associated with its production-is transparent and readily understood.

[A more comprehensive discussion of this subject can be found on the author’s website at revelle.net/lakeside/lakeside.new/CandT-CarbonTax.pdf.]

The Getaway Guys Go To Kenosha

By Alan Barney and Neil Cogbill

Restored trolley cars making lazy loops between Kenosha's Metra Station and Lake Michigan's shore, two excellent historic districts, and three museums, with a fourth under construction, make this Wisconsin city north of Evanston an ideal one-day getaway. Settled in 1835, Kenosha's 96,845 citizens have known good times and bad, not unlike many American cities which became reliant on a single industry, cars in this case. But for Kenosha, there is a concerted effort to overcome the bad times of the late 20th century, when the Jeep plant closed, to restore the heart of the city. This makes for an interesting adventure in urban renewal.

Kenosha is one of those rare places that offers Evanstonians a choice of transportation modes. Metra trains run from here right into the middle of Kenosha's renaissance district. Of course, an automobile trip up I94 is another possibility. A third, for hardy folks, is the bicycle: the Green Bay Trail starting just over Evanston's border in Wilmette connects to Kenosha almost entirely by trail.

The Kenosha Transit Electric Street Car line begins at the Metra Station at 54th Street and 11th Avenue. Five restored 1951 PPC trolleys, painted in the colors of street cars formerly used in Toronto, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Kenosha, make a loop from there to the Harborwalk at the edge of Lake Michigan. A stroke of genius, these resurrected and pollution free public transportation vehicles, once common across the U.S., shuttle folks to what is becoming a crucial cultural nexus for Kenosha and its visitors.

Within easy walking distance or on the trolley are the Kenosha Public Museum, the Kenosha History Center, and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. A 59,000-square-foot Civil War Museum will open in the spring of 2008. Two of the museums, new condominium and resort developments and a bustling marina now occupy the former automotive works site.

The Public Museum features both prehistoric and fine-arts exhibits, including fascinating hypothetical recreations of legendary (Michelangelo and others) sculptors' studios by Laredo Taft - recreations he referred to as "peep shows." The History Center highlights local history from Indian to modern times, including a few of the AMC muscle cars that were once manufactured in town. The Dinosaur Discovery Museum is a designated federal repository within the historic Old Post Office, and has a real working paleontology laboratory operated by the Carthage College Institute of Paleontology.

Meanwhile, Kenosha's two historic districts, among the best documented we have seen, are a short walk south of the trolley line. They are called the Third Avenue and the Library Park Districts, and consist primarily of residences (one is the birthplace of Orson Welles). A good place to start is the restored Gilbert M. Simmons (think mattresses) Memorial Library, at 7th Avenue and 59th Place, to pick up information packets about the districts. The library itself is an excellent example of Beaux-Arts architecture, designed by Daniel Burnham and completed in 1900, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For lunch, Frank's Diner in the heart of downtown is the real thing. For a good cup of coffee or tea and dessert, Common Grounds on 6th Avenue (near the History Museum) is very inviting.

The Kenosha Area Convention and Visitors Bureau maintains a complete and up-to-date guide which can be downloaded or ordered online at www.kenoshacvb.com. The biker may want to check out its listings of local inns, since it is unlikely he or she will want to return the same day

The authors maintain a free website, getaway-chicago.com, which offers suggested outings to nearby destinations, like Kenosha, that are often overlooked, but of genuine interest and delight.

Young Evanston

'Stop, Drop, Roll and Cover'

Fire inspector Bob Nelson shows Kingsley second-grader Richard Darrough how to stop, drop, roll and cover during Fire Prevention Week.

A new step has been added to "Stop, drop and roll," local firefighters told District 65 students this week. "Cover," said fire inspector Bob Nelson - "cover your face, because your mouth and nose go right to your lungs, and you don't want to breathe smoke."

Every year during fire prevention week, Oct. 7-13, Evanston firefighters make the rounds of District 65 schools - 14 schools and 2,500 kids this week, said Mr. Nelson - to educate them on fire safety. On Oct. 12, firefighters Dave Lipp, Steve Barlok, Karis Wilson and Marty Rafacz from Engine Company 21 visited Kingsley School.

For some students in Jill Fink and Marcy Nicholson's second-grade class, part of last Friday's program was a review. They knew the reasons to call 9-1-1, and most knew their addresses, as Mr. Nelson discussed with them the different services - police, fire, medical - they might request in a 9-1-1 call.

Many were familiar with smoke detectors and knew the battery had to be changed. "Twice a year," Mr. Nelson told them. "The smoke detector is like a big nose up there, sniffing for smoke all the time. The battery is its heart.

"What do you do if you hear the smoke alarm when you're in bed?" Mr. Nelson continued.

"Wake up," one of the children replied.

Some children already knew to touch a door before opening it - "in case it's hot," they told the firefighters. "Then you begin to crawl," Mr. Nelson said. "Grab a sheet or a towel and get by a window. Wave the towel so the firefighter can see you. At every fire there is a firefighter who walks through the house, to find the location of the fire and to find people. So don't hide from a firefighter."

Firefighters in full gear can be frightening, so Mr. Barlok, the newest member of the Evanston Fire Department, dressed in full gear - three-layered pants, jacket, helmet and oxygen mask and tank. Crawling amidst the second-graders, he pretended not to see them and allowed them to grab at him to make him aware of their presence.

It is important, said Mr. Nelson, to let the kids know that inside that frightening gear with Darth Vader-like breathing is the same firefighter they may have already met.

A Good Season for the Cats, a Great Season for Lemonade.

The lemonade stand near Ryan Field has caught the eye of many Northwestern Wildcat fans. The eight children who operate it on game days have collected nearly $461 this season. The children - Catie and Maggie Conlon, Riley and Patrick Hughes, Nuala Brennan and August and Chamberlin Coffee donated their proceeds to help with the rehab of the pediatric wing at Evanston Hospital.

Willard Festival a Success.

There were tricks and treats at the Willard School Fall Festival, held at the school on Oct. 13. A rope bridge provided a tricky challenge to the kids, requiring patience and balance to traverse it. Nearby, a pumpkin was jammed with lollipops, requiring only a gentle pull to retrieve a treat. The festival, sponsored by the Willard School PTA, attracted parents and families showing support for the school.

Eye on Evanston

What Is a Proforma?

by John Macsai

Apartment buildings are among the most difficult building types for an architect to design. They are often boringly repetitive in appearance, the fees one can charge are lower than for other building types, and unlike institutional or public buildings where the budget can be adjusted, on an apartment building the architect has no leeway. Every square foot must earn the projected income. Developers call it "making the proforma work."

A proforma is an economic equation that compares income to expenses in order to show profit or loss.

A proforma is an economic equation that compares income to expenses in order to show profit or loss. In order to set up the equation one first must determine what the building will cost to construct.

The cost includes the hard costs (land, utilities, construction cost) as well as the soft costs (architectural fees, legal expenses, marketing costs and paying interest on the construction loan). The architect's experience, ability to estimate costs, and discipline in designing can make a major difference.

If the proposed project is a rental apartment building, the equation has on one side the rental income (including rent from garage and commercial spaces) minus the expected vacancies.

On the other side are the expenses (management salaries, utilities, maintenance, repairs, insurance and taxes) plus mortgage payments (the retirement of the loan). The result is expressed as a percentage of the investment.

Today, unless the location is excellent and can demand high rents it is hard to achieve even a 5-10 percent profit. Although real estate appreciates faster than most other investments, it is not liquid enough to compete with, for example, risk-free bonds. Another major factor is the reality that money is tied up for 2-4 years until a building is completed and fully rented.

Since rental housing is risky, it has mostly been replaced by condominiums, where the individual apartments are actually owned by the buyers. In the case of condominiums, the construction cost is the same and the soft costs are even higher because there is a realtor's fee of 6 percent, plus higher legal and surveyor expenses.

Nevertheless, despite the higher costs and an added 15-20 percent profit the units are saleable in an attractive market like Evanston. Why?

There is no clear-cut answer to the question. In my opinion it is mostly a state of mind that prefers ownership to renting in spite of the possible problems that can occur in a condominium association.

From the point of view of the municipality, the condominium is generally preferred because it is assumed that the population is more rooted, less transient and consequently tends to act more responsibly.

My argument that the rental building needs to be a higher-quality construction because the developer is always responsible for repairs, while he is off the hook when the last condo is sold, does not seem to weigh much.

It would be interesting do a study to find out if it is true that the majority of condominium-buyers are empty-nesters or young marrieds, and to find out the time between purchase and resale for the average unit.

Other questions come to mind as well: Do condominium owners spend more in Evanston stores and restaurants than renters do? Are they more involved in municipal issues?

It seems that these are questions to which we really should know the answers.

BOOK REVIEW

"Songs Without Words"

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

They grew up across the street from each other in Palo Alto, sharing everything, and were more like sisters than friends. When they were 16, Sarabeth's mother committed suicide. Rather than move across country with her forlorn father, Sarabeth moved into Liz's home for her last year of high school.

But the suicide left Sarabeth fragile. While Liz married and had two wonderful children, Sarabeth flitted from boyfriend to boyfriend and from job to job. She now stages houses for the real estate market and makes and markets lampshades, while crying about the married man she loves but feels too guilty to continue seeing. The only stable thing in her life is her friendship with Liz, who has always been there for her.

Liz, a devoted stay-at-home mother, is happily married to Brody. Their children, Lauren and Joey, are both teenagers now. Good kids, they are doing well, or so Liz thinks, until the day Lauren attempts suicide. This one act, one day, affects the lives of everyone. Liz, devastated
and feeling guilty, hurts so badly she can barely get through a day. She needs Sarabeth.

But Sarabeth, too, is traumatized by the attempted suicide. Through it she relives her teenage years. She recalls being 16, with a mother who was not like other mothers. She was prone to excess, getting so excited about a holiday that she bought Sarabeth a velvet dress or something Sarabeth was not allowed to touch until the special day. Sarabeth had to wash her hands, taking great care not to mess up the dress. Afterwards her mother would take to her bed for days.

Sarabeth talks about her mother to her married ex-boyfriend, Billy: "With Billy the light hadn't fully existed because she'd been unable to keep it with her when she was alone. Or it hadn't existed, but it was a false light, light like a false spring, flowers blooming too early and doomed to die. She thought her mother had been a flower sort of like that, a flower that lacked the support of a stem: all blossom, already browning at the edges."

This book explores the question of how much is owed to a loved one. The author is objective about those who fail their friends or family, explaining rather than criticizing. "Songs without Words" would provide good material for group discussion.

MOVIE REVIEW

"The Darjeeling Limited "

A Movie Review By Brian Murphy

The opening sequence of "The Darjeeling Limited" might well make one wonder if director and co-writer Wes Anderson is messing with viewers' heads. A frantic, almost comical, Hitchcockian event unfolds involving Bill Murray (credited as The Businessman) as a harrowed man rushing from an Indian airport to a train via a speeding taxi, briefcase in hand.

As Mr. Murray frantically chases the departing train, he is passed by Adrien Brody. Wes Anderson toys with our expectations, leaves the star of several of his films behind, and a new one catches Mr. Anderson's train, leaping on in slow motion.

Mr. Anderson has yet to be accused of being ordinary, toying with genre conventions in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" and both idolizing and satirizing the upper-class, titular family in "The Royal Tenenbaums." His characters are often wealthy, privileged and suffering from some sort of arrested development.

"The Darjeeling Limited," one of Mr. Anderson's best works to date, focuses on three affluent brothers (Mr. Brody, along with Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson), who try to repair a bond that has been broken since the death of their father.

Eldest brother Francis (Mr. Wilson), having recently suffered a near-fatal accident, decides that a train ride through India is what he and his brothers need to fulfill their spiritual and familial shortcomings. Francis is oblivious to his domineering tendencies, telling his brothers what to eat and creating rules for the three to abide by on their quest.

Jack (Mr. Schwartzman, who also co-wrote the script) is a novelist still trying to break ties with the manipulative ex who broke his heart (portrayed by Natalie Portman in an Anderson short film, "Hotel Chevalier," which, oddly, is not included before "Darjeeling").

Peter (Mr. Brody) is an expert at abandoning his feelings and also his pregnant wife. Mr. Brody, on the heels of an excellent performance in "Hollywoodland," is a perfect fit. He expertly depicts the pent-up frustration of the typically neglected middle child with a grudge.

Left to run amuck among the passive passengers and wary security guards, the trio berate tourists, break off into "factions," betray one another's secrets, bed the staff, bring a poisonous snake aboard and brawl like children.

However, Mr. Anderson's rigid framing and style never let this tale descend into slapstick or farce. While often hilarious, the characters are so wounded and clueless that their trip becomes a desperate attempt to change the lives they see as failures and is ultimately necessary to their discovery that their mother's abandonment of them is not their fault.

Jack sums up the heartbroken malaise of their lives by saying, "I wonder if the three of us could have been friends in real life. Not as brothers but as people."

The screenwriters provide some great metaphors, such as a train that manages to get lost, and a kleptomaniac brother who must steal from those he loves to feel a connection. The film's comic side takes a break about two-thirds into the film, when a tragic incident brings the brothers together. The fact that this incident is not a cliché is a testament to the screenwriter's abilities.

Instead we receive a moment of clarity that ultimately connects the sadness and sweetness pulsing throughout. "The Darjeeling Limited" is a film that wants its protagonist to realize that one doesn't change life; rather, life changes those who live it. Sometimes one must run after it, because it will not wait.

Rated R for language.

MOVIE REVIEW

"Michael Clayton"

A Movie Review By Joe Linstroth

Both a taut thriller and an intelligent morality tale, "Michael Clayton" is a rare diamond in the Hollywood rough. Refusing to give in to oversimplified polarizations of good and evil, the film's characters operate in real life's gray areas, where honor and integrity are often smothered by money, power and greed.

George Clooney plays Michael, a "fixer" for the high-powered corporate law firm of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen. He's the guy in the shadows who greases the wheels when his firm's rich clients need to be saved from themselves. "I'm not a miracle worker, I'm a janitor," he tells a panicking client who has just fled the scene of a hit-and-run.

Joy is illusive for Michael. His plan to escape from the law firm was squandered in a failed restaurant venture, and his addict brother has left him holding the bag filled with 75 grand in debt. He can't relate to his young son, and even his masochistic relapses at the poker table seem to bore him.

Michael's new assignment is to put a lid on Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), the firm's legendary senior litigator who has stopped taking his bipolar medication. Arthur's erratic behavior threatens the firm's defense of U/North, a massive agrochemical company, in a $3 billion class-action lawsuit. "I've spent 12 percent of my life defending the reputation of a deadly weed-killer," Arthur says in one of his rants to Michael.

Indeed Arthur has lost his grip on reality, and on the face of it, it seems like just another mess for the janitor to mop up. But when Michael discovers that his crazy old friend might also be right, he must decide how far he will go to make the truth disappear.

"Michael Clayton" is a promising directorial debut for screenwriter Tony Gilroy (the "Bourne" series). With steady pacing and rich dialogue, he creates three-dimensional characters who go from struggling with personal demons in one scene to power-brokering, corporate espionage and murder in the next.

Even the film's main antagonist has a soul. Tilda Swinton is outstanding as Karen Crowder, U/North's general counsel, who will stop at nothing to ensure her company's survival. Instead of cackling and relishing her evil-doing, however, Karen is torn apart by it. She is edgy and vulnerable, nervously practicing her answers for the media while standing in front of a mirror in her bra. Despite the pressure, which at one point forces her into a bathroom stall with a panic attack, she is still able to take a deep breath, straighten her power-suit and do anything it takes to win.

But the engine driving the film is George Clooney.

One of the most intelligent actors in Hollywood, Mr. Clooney lends a subtle angst and moral ambiguity to his character. Michael is tired - tired of helping wealthy pricks escape the law, tired of losing in the game of life. "I'm not the guy you kill, I'm the guy you buy," he tells Karen during the intense finale. By then, however, it is clear that Michael Clayton's soul is down to its last and final sale.

2hrs 0min. Rated R for language and violence.