I am alive. I just haven’t seen much news lately. See any? Report it, edwardappleby@yankeeracers.org.

We were thinking of putting out an online art/literary magazine, maybe the first to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rushmore? Short stories, poems, art, etc. If you are interested, contact me.

Our group is really making a go at it over at Facebook. Almost 400 members! Join us.

Our last revolutionary struggle was a success (sort of). After many years of petitioning for a Criterion Collection edition of Bottle Rocket, one is now forthcoming. Coincidence? Probably.

Anyway, the struggle is ongoing. We now have a new petition for you to sign, asking for The Darjeeling Limited on Criterion. Please do sign. We also have a ’supplementary’ petition, about Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy.

We are accepting proposals for blogs on this site. E-mail edwardappleby @ yankeeracers.org (no spaces) with your idea or a link to your current blog. Metro Line 13, a blog by Owen Bates (currently under construction), will be our first Rushmore Academy blog.

We are also still offering Google Mail accounts @ yankeeracers.org. E-mail the above e-mail address with your request.

Update: Is anyone good at making Wordpress themes? I am not, apparently. E-mail me.

We need a logo for our Facebook group. We would like you to design it. Send your logo (150 x 150 or so) to edwardappleby@yankeeracers.org. We will pick the best submission as our logo. No deadline, but we will pick one when it strikes us as ‘the one.’

First, join our new Facebook group. That, or sudden death academic probation. Your choice.

An unpaid intern from two.one.five magazine sent us this interview with Wes. Thank you, intern.

One Severus Snape (Alan Rickman, I hope) has asked that I tell you about the new World of Owen site and a new Wilson Brothers’ forum called The Soil Room. I don’t get it either, but good projects.

The new Paste magazine has a brief discussion of the new Harold and Maude soundtrack (pg. 36-37). I would be really excited, but it is only available on LP. Max Fischer is compared to Harold in a lovely chart, “Modern-Day Harolds Revealed”:

Gawky? Not really. Pale? A lighter shade of olive. Bowl cut? No, dad’s a barber. Fixation? Extra-curricular. Overly formal everyday attire? Yes, quite natty. Unusual transportation? Go-cart, bicycle Unlawful behavior? Slices Herman Blume’s brake cables Inappropriate love interest? His tutor, Rosemary Cross Overbearing parent? No, but don’t piss of Dr. Guggenheim Histrionics? Aquarium-building, theatrical-epic-producing Single-artist soundtrack? Various artists, various awesome Cat Stevens? “The Wind,” “Here Comes My Baby” A threat? Marginally — a little too pulled-together, though he does have a way with fake blood

Finally! – after joining the Facebook group, head over to the Yankee Racers forum: vote in the Oscar poll, offer your worst film of the year, talk about Juno, or start your own thread. Hundreds of threads full of Wes-knowledge and discussion…

If you are a Facebook member, please show your school spirit and join our group. Send officer title requests to edwardappleby @ yankeeracers.org (no spaces).

We hope our experiment in social networking is a success!

Tonight, watching the Jerry Seinfeld interview with Charlie Rose made me think: I ought to revisit Charlie’s interviews with Wes. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are all three (see the end for some great Yankee Racers threads).

26 October 2007:

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15 December 2004:

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29 January 1999:

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Suggested threads at the Yankee Racers forum:
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
DVD (The Darjeeling Limited)
Why is Bill Smiling? (The Life Aquatic)
I’ve set up TRT on continual loop in my apartment
Last movie you saw?

The site was down for several hours this afternoon. We apologize; our site data was being transfered to a different server.

The downtime delayed the unveiling of the new look Yankee Racers forum. We hope you enjoy.

The Rushmore Academy is looking for web editors and contributors to write news stories, film and book reviews, short stories, etc. Obviously, this position pays nothing, but your reward will be contributing to the Wes community.

E-mail edwardappleby @ yankeeracers.org (no spaces).

Is anyone having trouble with the Yankee Racers forum?

I have received reports of problems but can’t seem to find anything wrong.

E-mail me with problems: edwardappleby @ yankeeracers.org!

Happy 2008, Wes World!