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Matt Wilson is happy when people think the "arts are nice. But the new director of MassCreative really wants you to think "the arts are necessary.

Since he was hired six months ago, the veteran community activist has been seeding a grassroots campaign to support, strengthen and fund arts organizations "from Pittsfield to Provincetown.

"Our role at MassCreative is to be the advocacy voice for creative institutions and artists, Wilson said from his modest office in Boston. " Art is not just nice to look at. Its necessary for our economic well-being and for building vibrant communities.

MassCreative was established in April as a nonprofit organization with support from The Boston Foundation and Hunt Alternatives Fund to help artists and arts institutions "speak in one voice as unified community on crucial issues including funding, arts education and political support, he said.

With 28 years experience as a campaign and community organizer, Wilson aims to help the artists and institutions of the "creative community" express their needs for resources, funds and political support.

Wilson said MassCreative will have the ability to endorse political candidates who have supported the arts but he doesnt expect to do that during this election cycle.

Leaders of state and local arts organizations are embracing MassCreatives mission of advocacy by providing a unified message.

Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, called the founding of MassCreative a "milestone in our effort to restore public funding for the arts, sciences and humanities."

"Our cultural organizations, artists, and arts educators contribute to the quality of life in our communities every day. We look forward to working with MassCreative to harness the incredible talent and energy of this sector to ensure it gets the support it deserves," said Walker.

Jerry Wedge, executive director of Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts in Concord, said he agreed to help organize a Nov. 1 meeting for Wilson to address local groups. "As arts organizations, were continually looking for ways to grow over time and that obviously includes looking for funds, he said.

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MassCreative fights for 'creative community'

As you can probably tell, fall is a great time for lawns to really grow and recover from this summers drought. Fall is the time of year that turf really puts on quite a bit root growth and we have had excellent conditions for this to occur.

If you have bare spots and havent seeded by now, its best to wait. Your next option is winter seeding and this can be done when temperatures are colder, usually after the holidays.

Winter seeding is the second best time of the year because the freezing and thawing of the ground helps to work the seeds into the soil. They wont germinate until spring.

Now is a fantastic time to control some of the broadleaf weeds. Dont wait too much longer, however, because growth will soon slow down and the weeds wont take in the herbicides.

We generally spot treat dandelions, clover, and other broadleaf weeds in the fall. These plants are actively storing sugar in the root systems and therefore, take the herbicides into the plant much more effectively.

Soon we will be mowing the lawn one final time. Dont scalp the lawn, however. It has been a practice in the past for homeowners to scalp the lawn one last time before winter sets in.

Mow your lawn on the normal height that you should be using all season. For Kentucky bluegrass, the proper height is 1 1/2-2, turf type tall fescue height is 2 1/2-3, and perennial ryegrass is 2-21/2.

If you continually remove a large portion of the leaf blade, you stress the roots. Higher mowing favors a deeper root system. Without a good root system, the turf is more likely to struggle through a dry spell.

In addition, this is a great time of the year to sharpen and repair any tools before you put them away for the winter. For some reason, I love to sharpen my pruning tools. There is something soothing about it.

The first step is to clean the tools and remove all of the gunk and soil with steel wool and soapy water. If you have sticky sap on the tool, one of the abrasive cleaners does a good job in removing the sap.

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If you haven’t seeded grass yet - wait

Test subject: San Diego Comic Fest 2012

The big picture: A San Diego-based comic-book, sci-fi and fantasy convention with no lines, tons of personal space and $4 parking? Had I died and gone to pop-culture heaven? Nope. It was just Saturday at San Diego Comic Fest 2012, an intimate mini Comic-Con organized by the conventions first chairman to celebrate the Cons 40th anniversary.

In residence through Sunday at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, the fest offers panel sessions, art exhibits, comic-book and toy sales, and appearances by such luminaries as sci-fi author Tim Powers and filmmaker Paul M. Sammon .

It also buzzes with the off-the-grid spirit of the original Con, before it became the entertainment Hulk it is today. Here are some notes from the underground.

House of cult worship: With its grab-bag look (New Orleans-style courtyards! Gazebos! Tiki pavilions!) and damply funky atmosphere, the Town and Country turned out to be the perfect gathering place for the many kinds of people who follow their passions to fan conventions like this.

In the Crescent room, an intense panel discussion about comics and Hollywood had room for Batman morality (Batman will not use a gun. Thats the Number 1 rule of Batman.) and creative minutia (Were you involved in the decision to scrap the Human Torch?). Then it was on to some spirited bashing of Hollywood, where one panelist summed up the studio mentality thusly: What do you have thats just like The Avengers?

Meanwhile, down the hall in the Garden Salon 1, old-school fans sat in awed silence while comic-book expert Gary Carter interviewed famed DC Comics illustrator Murphy Anderson about his craft.

I brought samples for everyone, Carter joked, holding up one of his many vintage Murphy Anderson covers. And it only cost me $140,000.

Clothes make the (time traveling) man: Unlike the Con, the Fest was not a sea of costumed humanity, so a man in a wool frock coat, plaid suit and top hat actually stood out. The goggles perched on the top hat were particularly eye-catching. Which was precisely the point.

Maybe there is no reason for anyone to be wearing goggles, said Randy Burks, who was here to talk up the Gaslight Gathering, a convention celebrating the steampunk sci-fi movement. Except to say, Hey, they look cool!

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Comic-Con tribute has old-school spirit

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cal Spas, the world leader in luxury Home Resort products, is pleased to announce its donation to the 21st Annual Dinner & Auction, "Growing Minds, Supporting Our Future", for The Child Development Center at Fairplex on September 27, 2012 in Pomona, California.

"This donation was the perfect opportunity for our company to help the children in our local community," said Casey Loyd, President of Cal Spas. "Since the goal of this auction was to raise money towards educational programs for children in need, we felt it was necessary to support such an amazing cause and organization."

Cal Spas donated an 8-foot Family(TM) Series hot tub, which was used for the evening's live auction. The auction was the most successful to date for the Pomona, California-based child development center.

"Cal Spas' hot tub donation was a huge hit at our event," said Holly Reynolds, Director of Children and Family Services at the Child Development Center. "We are so grateful for their support and donation, which will help change the lives of children, families and teachers in our community."

The Child Development Center hosts an annual event in effort to provide local children in need of high-quality child development skills with the proper training and preparation for school. The center held a live and silent auction at the event to raise money towards their annual budget.

About Cal Spas

Cal Spas(R) was founded in 1979 as a provider of luxury hot tubs. Today, the celebrated hot tub giant is world renowned as the #1 Global Manufacturer of Home Resort Products(TM). The company produces premium collections of lifestyle products from its headquarters in Pomona, Calif. and distributes worldwide through a network of specialty dealers. The Cal Spas brand family of products includes Cal Spas hot tubs and swim spas, Cal Designs gazebos, Cal Heat indoor and outdoor saunas, and Cal Flame high-end BBQ grills, outdoor barbecue islands, outdoor fireplaces and firepits. Learn about Home Resort Living and find a dealer near you at http://www.calspas.com.

About Fairplex

Under the direction of the Los Angeles County Fair Association, Fairplex is home to the L.A. County Fair, the largest county fair in the world, as well as The Learning Centers which encompasses Fairtime Learning, The Child Development Center, The Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) and the Junior Fair Board. Fairplex also operates a diverse hospitality business with the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center, McKinley's Grille, KOA RV Park, Finish Line Sports Grill and Cornucopia Foods. The campus is also home to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona; horse-racing and Barretts Equine Limited; as well as the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. For more information, please visit http://www.fairplex.com.

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Cal Spas Supports Local Child Development Center

The Auditor-Generals fall report, as always, made for interesting reading. Particularly catching was the third chapter, which analyzed Canadas planning and preparedness for a major cyber attack against our government or national infrastructure. Canada seems to have adopted Meh, probably wont happen as its official cyber-security policy.

There are, of course, the usual groaners found in any A-G reports. Since 2001, the federal government has theoretically spent $780-million on cyber security initiatives. Except not really. Much of that money was packaged together under plans that dealt with cyber security, but not exclusively. While no ones suggesting it paid for any gazebos, the Auditor-General wasnt able to precisely determine what it was spent on. One instructive line from his report notes that Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) received $570-million of the total, but that the funds were directed to the CSECs overall program capacity in says that could directly or indirectly support cyber protection.

Looking deeper into the governments preparedness, the Auditor-General discovered that some components of the plan are working well. The major players in the energy and natural resources sector, for example, has excellent co-operation both with the government and among themselves, the A-G reports. Other parts of the government and broader economy, however, seem to have little understanding of their responsibilities and tasks. It notes that the government has strategies and goals, but few plans.

But the real kicker in the report something that ought to make every Canadian who ever uses a phone, bank account or, you know, electricity, take note is that the governments central cyber security operations centre keeps regular business hours.

Dear enemies: If youre going to try and hack us or launch a major cyber attack on us, please dont do it on weekends or at night. The Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) is currently staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ottawa time, on Mondays through Fridays

Dear enemies: If youre going to try and hack us or launch a major cyber attack on us, please dont do it on weekends or at night. The Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) is currently staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ottawa time, on Mondays through Fridays.

The CCIRC, which the A-G notes is the focal point for monitoring and reacting to cyber threats, would be the command centre in the event of a major cyber attack against a Canadian government agency or industry. So long as someones actually in the office.If a cyber attack were to occur outside of business hours, its supposed to be reported to the Government Operations Centre, a federal command post for national-level emergencies that is staffed around the clock. Theyll then call someone from CCIRC. (Assuming, of course, the phones still work.)

There might well be an argument for folding the CCIRCs functions directly into those overseen by the operations centre. Indeed, the CCIRC is already a component of the operations centre. But it would be an imperfect fit. While some cyber attacks could rise to the level of a national emergency, there are also a range of possible cyber attack scenarios that, while serious, dont quite make it that far. Imagine, for example, an attack that seeks to steal intelligence secrets. Or personal banking information. It would be nice to have some ability to respond to that without having to put the entire federal government on red alert.

And the government seems to agree. It has allocated additional funds to get the CCIRC running seven-days a week, 24 hours no, wait, sorry. Seven-days a week for 15 hours a day. The other nine hours will still be unstaffed, except for the guy on call. Oh, and the money is spread out over five years. So it might take until 2017 to get there.

This is typical of Canadian emergency response planning, which tends to bank more on good luck than good preparations. And it also calls into question how committed any branch of the government is to cyber security. Its a real problem Canadian networks have been attacked before, as the report notes. The government has promised to do better. Lets hope those who mean us harm will give us the time we need to follow through.

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Dear enemies, please don’t attack us at night or on weekends

MANILA, Philippines It seems that the feng shui masters prediction about President Benigno Aquino IIIs love life for this year is not that accurate.

During the annual Presidential Forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Aquino once again compared his love life or lack of it to sugar-free cola, saying that it is still zero.

It can be recalled that last September, Aquino compared the stages of his love life to Coca-Cola, which varies from regular to light to zero.

Early this year, a local newspaper said the countrys bachelor President went from Coke Zero to kimchi following his short-lived romance with Korean TV personality Grace Lee.

His other past dates include celebrity stylist Liz Uy, stockbroker Len Lopez, and Valenzuela City councilor Shalani Soledad, who is now married to Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo.

Cold Christmas?

Hong Kong-based feng shui master Joseph Chau Kam Shing, who has been practicing feng shui for over 30 years, said last January that Aquino is likely to get hitched this year if he is willing to get married.

This year, he will have a love life if he is willing to get married The First Lady is coming out, Chau said in a press conference.

While most Filipinos thought Lee would be the one, she and Aquino suddenly parted ways, with the President saying that they are just friends.

Just last month, Aquino hinted that he may have a cold Christmas this year, saying that he will only have arroz caldo to keep him warm for the holidays.

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PNoy says love life is 'still zero'

TOKYO The screening of Chinese film Feng Shui will go ahead at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) Monday night as scheduled despite a a last-minute no-show by the film's cinematographer at a press conference and a request to pull it from the lineup.

Director Wang Jing and actor Jiao Gang canceled their visits to Tokyo, and one of the Chinese production companies has asked its screening to be pulled due to recent Chinese-Japanese political tensions over a territorial dispute.

Who sent the statement requesting the withdrawal was unclear, it was unsigned and therefore we didn't take it as an official notification, said TIFF programming director Nobushige Toshima, referring to a communication received on Friday. We have now received an official request to withdraw the film, but we are planning to go ahead with the screening as planned.

Explained Toshima: Yesterday we were told the cinematographer would attend the press conference and answer questions. He is in Japan, and we were talking about how we would handle the press conference. However, he has now told us he needed permission from the production company in order to engage in any promotional activities."

That permission was evidently not forthcoming.

A statement from the young cinematographer was read out at the press conference. I came to TIFF as a cinematographer, as one of the crew who made this film. I'm very sorry, but I'm not able to speak on behalf of the production company. I hope people can still enjoy the film.

Rumors have been circulating that the film was being pulled from the festival by its producers over recent political tensions between China and Japan over a group of small, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The islands, known by the Chinese as Diaoyu, and by the Japanese as Senakaku, are claimed by both sides and have burst into the spotlight again recently after a plan by the Japanese government to buy them from their private owners sparked an angry reaction in China.

However, the film is still scheduled to have its world premiere at TIFF, with the Chinese production companies involved reportedly divided over whether it should bow in Tokyo in the current climate.

TIFF is a film festival, it is not a place for politics, it's a place for cultural exchange," said Toshima in response to a question from The Hollywood Reporter about whether going ahead with the screening despite the request to halt it might further raise tensions at a sensitive time in the relations between China and Japan. "If it's a great film, it doesn't matter if it's from China or not. Both sides signed an agreement to screen the film, and we will show the film according to that agreement.

Twitter@GavinJBlair

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Tokyo International Film Festival to Screen 'Feng Shui' Despite Request to Withdraw Film

TOKYO The screening of Chinese film Feng Shui will go ahead at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) Monday night as scheduled despite a a last-minute no-show by the film's cinematographer at a press conference and a request to pull it from the lineup.

Director Wang Jing and actor Jiao Gang canceled their visits to Tokyo, and one of the Chinese production companies has asked its screening to be pulled due to recent Chinese-Japanese political tensions over a territorial dispute.

Who sent the statement requesting the withdrawal was unclear, it was unsigned and therefore we didn't take it as an official notification, said TIFF programming director Nobushige Toshima, referring to a communication received on Friday. We have now received an official request to withdraw the film, but we are planning to go ahead with the screening as planned.

Explained Toshima: Yesterday we were told the cinematographer would attend the press conference and answer questions. He is in Japan, and we were talking about how we would handle the press conference. However, he has now told us he needed permission from the production company in order to engage in any promotional activities."

That permission was evidently not forthcoming.

A statement from the young cinematographer was read out at the press conference. I came to TIFF as a cinematographer, as one of the crew who made this film. I'm very sorry, but I'm not able to speak on behalf of the production company. I hope people can still enjoy the film.

Rumors have been circulating that the film was being pulled from the festival by its producers over recent political tensions between China and Japan over a group of small, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The islands, known by the Chinese as Diaoyu, and by the Japanese as Senakaku, are claimed by both sides and have burst into the spotlight again recently after a plan by the Japanese government to buy them from their private owners sparked an angry reaction in China.

However, the film is still scheduled to have its world premiere at TIFF, with the Chinese production companies involved reportedly divided over whether it should bow in Tokyo in the current climate.

TIFF is a film festival, it is not a place for politics, it's a place for cultural exchange," said Toshima in response to a question from The Hollywood Reporter about whether going ahead with the screening despite the request to halt it might further raise tensions at a sensitive time in the relations between China and Japan. "If it's a great film, it doesn't matter if it's from China or not. Both sides signed an agreement to screen the film, and we will show the film according to that agreement.

Twitter@GavinJBlair

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Screening of Feng Shui to go Ahead at Tokyo Intl Film Fest Despite Request from China to Withdraw Film

The Bottom Line

A commanding performance from Yang Bingyan anchors director Wang Jings grim assessment of modern city life in mainland China.

Wang Jing

Yan Bingyan, Jiao Gang, Chen Gang

The yoke of poverty proves an enduring burden in Feng Shui, Chinese director Wang Jings compassionate study of a working-class womans struggle to improve her status during the sharp economic rise of the 1990s. Stepping outside his social-issues wheelhouse with this piercing family drama, the director reveals a keen eye for high-stakes interpersonal conflict and the inner torment roiling within ordinary people.

Older audiences will appreciate the measured, conventional storytelling, elevated by a stunning central performance from veteran Beijing-born actress Yang Bingyan, who is rarely off-screen and convincingly roams the emotional gamut. Her devastating portrayal of a woman undone by a preoccupation with success makes this Mandarin-language production a solid booking for further Asia-centric festivals following its premiere in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

With 2009s Invisible Killer, a murder mystery highlighting the destructive power of the internet, and 2010s Vegetate, which took a critical look at Chinas pharmaceutical industry, Wang Jing has built a reputation for taking on pressing social issues. Condemnation of the wrenching social transformations which accompanied the countrys rapid economic growth is common among Chinese auteurs, but here it is used to background a drama that is resolutely individual in its focus.

Li Baoli (Yang) works as a shopkeepers helper in the heavily populated central Chinese city of Wuhan. Shes a tortured soul, racked by anguish and indeterminate rage, which manifests itself in torrents of abuse and scorn heaped upon her husband and her studious young son. In short, shes a shrew.

She continues to berate her milquetoast husband Ma Xuewu (Jiao Gang) even as his steady job as a factory team leader provides them with the means to move into a well-appointed highrise apartment where, she is momentarily pleased to discover, they have the luxury of their own bathroom.

Wu Nans screenplay, based on a novel by Fang Fang, keeps Baolis inner dialogue from us so we are sometimes at as much of a loss to fathom her emotional thrashing about as her family and friends are. Making this protagonist sympathetic is a Herculean task, but Yang (Memory of Love, Close to Me) rises to the challenge, giving us glimpses of the panic behind her agitation and the steely determination she musters just to carry on.

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Feng Shui: Tokyo Film Festival Review

The Padres plan for Petco Park to still be a pitcher's park, but just not as extreme as its current dimensions.

Andy Hayt/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark - which some people derisively called Petco National Park - to one that plays more fairly.

"We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans," Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. "That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint."

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).