corrente

At least two bits of good news in this story. First, folks at Northwestern are mobilized and active, to get word to corporate headquarters that a local franchisee is playing games liable to be bad for business. Second...well, let's get through the story first:

(via Chicago Trib)

A Northwestern University student says an Evanston movie theater is playing politics by backing off of an agreement to show "FahrenHype 9/11," a conservative counter to Michael Moore's Bush-bashing movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11."

John Nickels, 21, a member of the Evanston Young Republicans, said he had a verbal agreement with Century Theatres to play his DVD on a 12-foot screen in the Rhythm Room, a bar area in the center of the multiplex.

That plan changed after Nickels published a half-page advertisement in the campus newspaper on Wednesday, the day the movie was to be shown.

"I got a call about four hours after it went to press," said Nickels, who heard from a marketing executive in San Rafael, Calif., where Century is based.

"She said that, first of all, this film would not show. Absolutely not," he said. "And that any agreement I had with management here would not stand."

I do hope this lad is not a business or economics major, given his notion of the worth of a "verbal contract." Now for the other good news, from a Tennessee point of view:

Nickels said he doesn't expect to change anyone's vote--especially in a city known for its liberal leanings.

"I'm from Tennessee originally," he said. "Things are a little different here in Evanston."

Sounds like he's not voting here, and in Illinois he can at least do no harm. I'm busy playing phone tag with a brother-in-law who was rabidly anti-Bush in the runup to war, but (I hear) is now swearing he can't vote for Kerry because he's "anti-gun." Yeah, we're down to the one-vote-at-a-time level today. Don't miss a chance anywhere, no matter how red or blue the state or any other circumstance.