Annie's vision and mission as an artist (like every other artist) is to communicate her unique view of life. And Annie, and the rest of us who write, paint, draw, take photos, is totally faithful to this holy obligation in the current exhibit.

Sarah, not only do you miss this point but your article is incredibly arrogant. I hope that Salon will have the grace to present another review of this exhibition that will honor the bond between Annie and Susan and Annie's incredible talent.

Thumbs down on this article, a rare perspective for this Salon subscriber.

WomynPoet

Salon's excellent article on Bill Ayers is more about a generation than it is about a single man and his actions. It is more than about a small radical organization --- the Weather Underground. It is an important document about how a portion of a generation responded to a moral issue that got too big to ignore.

(See http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/11/17/ayers/?source=newsletter)

Did the 1960s Weather Underground do the right thing in responding violently to violence? Historians and pundits have and will continue to argue that question.

As a member of that generation and one who participated fully and nonviolently in the anti-war movement, I can only say that their response was understandable.

The Ayers interview rekindles an ageless moral imperative and reminds us that the issue of war is no different today than it was 40 years ago. We are still asked to stand up and be counted and still frustrated by the refusal of government to respond to peaceful protest.

For me, Ayers ' most notable quote in this article is, "this is where we need to move in the future -- that we cannot believe that presidents save us. They cannot save our lives. We have to do for ourselves the important work of transformation, the important work of reframing the last eight years, the last several decades, into something more hopeful"

I hope to hear more of Ayers' thoughts on that transformation.

I am truly in mourning about the cancellation of Life on Mars. The background music lured me like the Sirens and the authentic 1973s New York just sweetened the deal. It took longer for the characters to develop and for me to get past the senseless police violence but I am at the point now where I just want to spend more time with Sam and Annie.

As a writer, I find the writing of the show amazing and it reminds me of the slow way some of Sorkin's failed series began. Actually, his West Wing was awfully slow to develop during the first year also but when you look back at that initial year it was the scene setter for that wonderful and addictive series.

One question. I have tried to get a copy of the BBC version of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes but haven't been able to find a DVD source that plays on my DVD player (a normal USA DVD player). Can anyone help me with this?

Also, does anyone know if there was a book that the series was working from or that was created after? This is a program that I would love to read either a book about or the original scripts.

Brava Stephanie, you got it right. The ending of the show was poorly contrived (but masterfully executed)but what an incredible experience each moment of the show was. As someone who grew up in the NYC of the 60s and 70s it was beyond nostalgic, it was authentic. And the music? Oh wow, are the only two words that my usually articulate self can muster.

I watched the last show again, listening to dialog and it is worth watching a few times. The neatest line is when our hero is beating up a crook to find out where his childhood self has been kidnapped, the crook says something like "how come you look more like an astronaut than a crook?"

I thought this (and a few other) portents of the St. Elsewhere like conclusion were masterful and reminded me of the quips that saturated "West Wing."

So, I freely confess that I have advance-ordered the BBC two-season version from Amazon and will also order the USA version when it is released in the fall.

Note that "Ashes to Ashes," which is the sequel to Life on Mars is currently playing on the BBC channel of Comcast and that the On Demand section of Comcast has the entire Ashes to Ashes available.

I am savoring the good memories of Life on Mars on this dreary rainy day in NJ.

Judy

Joan, I too wonder about the synapse lapses in the mini-arc involving Carter and his wife Kem. The footage explaining why the estrangement (other than the death of their baby) must have hit the (digital) cutting room floor as must have those explaining why Kem came back to Chicago, why Carter basically ignored her at the opening, and why he was so goo-goo eyed with "love" and staying awake for his 7 AM phone call to her (which he will probably miss with the disaster emergency).

But with regard to the nostalgic reappearance of Rachel Greene and her desire to have med student placement at County, her appearance (as well as the focus on John Stamos helping to restore the red car) was fairly calculated by NBC. The talk is that a $pinoff of ER is in the works with John Stamos being the lead character and Rachel Greene being featured as a med student.

So, color some of the best features of that closing performance as self-serving rather than brilliant writing .

Saying all that, it was getting harder and harder to watch ER in the last few seasons and if it wasn't for the DVR, I would have left it years ago. St. Elsewhere (with all the hokey qualities of the wrap up) never lost its edge.