Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, who commanded all U.S. forces in the Middle East for three years during the Trump and Biden presidencies, believes President Joe Biden should respond more forcefully to attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea — even as top administration officials remain wary of provoking Iran.

The former head of U.S. Central Command said Iran has taken the lack of a strong U.S. military response to the recent spike in Tehran-backed Houthi attacks on civilian vessels, which pose a threat to U.S. warships, as an invitation to continue its aggressive behavior.

“Sometimes you’ve got to throw a pitch,” McKenzie said in an interview. “You can’t catch eternally, because eventually the law of averages is going to turn against you, and you’re going to take a significant escalatory event on a ship, and then you’re going to be forced into an even more significant level of response.”

“We’ve given them no reason not to continue [attacking],” he said of the Houthis.

The nation’s largest glass recycler has filed for bankruptcy, but plans to keep crushing glass during voluntary restructuring.

Strategic Materials, Inc., or SMI, maintains plants and offices in 42 locations across the U.S., including 195 Minnehaha Ave., just off Interstate 35-E in St. Paul.

SMI submitted reorganization plans when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 4 alongside its 15 affiliates in U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Southern District of Texas Houston division. The company obtained $23 million to finance ongoing operations as the case moves forward, according to documents made public by the Kroll Restructuring Administration of New York.

If approved by the courts, reorganization will allow the company to remain in business while reducing its debt by more than $300 million, according to the trade newsletter Glass International.

An initial hearing was held Dec. 5 and a follow-up is scheduled for Jan. 10.

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Vikings at Raiders (+2½)

Minnesota quarterback Joshua Dobbs is keeping his starting job, barely, after throwing four interceptions in the Vikings’ Monday Night Football loss to Chicago. He’s on pace to see his name in the record books for most holiday season giveaways, just behind a fellow listed as “S. Claus.”
Pick: Vikings by 3

Two Chicago Bears fans dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus cheer the arrival of the team onto the field before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Bills at Chiefs (-2½)

Buffalo coach Sean McDermott told his players a few years ago they needed to come together as a team, just like the September 11 hijackers did. This triggered a huge firestorm from critics who said any comparison to the Bills would be an outrageous affront to the September 11 terrorists.
Pick: Chiefs by 3

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Packers at Giants (+6½)

Green Bay moved into playoff position in the NFC with its upset victory over Kansas City last Sunday night. NFL data analysts estimate that the Packers, who started the season 2-5, are now just about a dozen Josh Dobbs turnovers from clinching a wild card berth.
Pick: Packers by 7

Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon (28) during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Jaguars at Browns (-2½)

A former Jaguars employee has been accused of stealing $22 million from the Jacksonville club. That astronomical total makes this the second-worst thing that has happened to the Jags franchise this week.
Pick: Browns by 3

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is helped after getting injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Panthers at Saints (-5½)

Carolina reported that tight end Hayden Hurst won’t play Sunday because he is suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. That diagnosis actually sounds appealing to those of us going through comparable trauma who would like to forget everything that has happened since 2016.
Pick: Saints by 7

Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst (81) reaches for the ball but cannot make the catch as he is tackled by Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker (9) during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Lions at Bears (+3½)

Fans and TV viewers were sick to their stomach last Sunday during the Lions-Saints game when they saw that a member of the sideline chain gang suffered a grotesquely dislocated knee. New Orleans felt even more nauseous later when Jameis Winston came into the game.
Pick: Lions by 7

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston warms up before the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Texans at Jets (+6½)

New York is putting embattled Zach Wilson back in at No. 1 quarterback. The former No. 2 draft pick denied reports he’s reluctant to see himself back in the starting lineup, differentiating himself from every other person in the New York metropolitan area.
Pick: Texans by 7

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson walks the sidelines during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Eagles at Cowboys (-3½)

Philadelphia center Jason Kelce said the Eagles are simply not good enough right now after their loss to NFC rival San Francisco. To prove his commitment to improvement, Kelce is taking a 24-hour break from filming soup commercials.
Pick: Eagles by 3

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (62) warms up before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Seahawks at 49ers (-10½)

San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected last Sunday for a confrontation on the sideline with the Eagles’ head of security, Dom DiSandro. The incident was quite a surprise to most NFL observers as they had no idea there was ever any security in Philadelphia’s stadium.
Pick: 49ers by 14

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) swings at Philadelphia Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro before both being ejected in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA. 49ers defeat the Eagles 42-19. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis)

Colts at Bengals (pick ‘em)

Cincinnati backup QB Jake Browning led the Bengals to a surprising win in Jacksonville on Monday night that kept their faint playoff hopes alive. So they’re going to stick with their new game plan and hope to keep winning by crippling the opposing quarterback.
Pick: Colts by 3

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) throws before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Titans at Dolphins (-13½)

It’s going to be a busy Monday night on the ESPN family of networks. The Dolphins face the Titans and the Packers meet the Giants on Monday Night Football, and the Manning brothers continue to steal ESPN’s money.
Pick: Dolphins by 17

(Screen grab from ESPN)

Other games

Buccaneers at Falcons (-2½):
Pick: Falcons by 3

Rams at Ravens (-7½):
Pick: Ravens by 3

Broncos at Chargers (-2½):
Pick: Chargers by 3

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) tackles Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8), causing a fumble during an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Byes

Cardinals, Commanders

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera pictured during an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, December 03, 2023 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

Record

Week 13
10-3 straight up
6-7 vs. spread

Season
120-73 straight up (.622)
102-91 vs. spread (.528)

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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Above: A still from Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by Phạm Thiên Ân, which recently won the Caméra d’Or award at Cannes Film Festival.

In 1993, the Caméra d’Or award, reserved by Cannes Film Festival for the best directorial debut, went to a filmmaker of Vietnamese descent—Trần Anh Hùng for The Scent of Green Papaya (Mùi đu đủ xanh). In May, 30 years later, it happened again: The winner was Phạm Thiên Ân of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng). 

Interestingly, both film titles refer to an item that’s organic in nature and suggest one must get close to fully experience it.

 Ân, whose base often cycles between Saigon and Houston, where he has family, became an instant celebrity in Vietnamese media and cinephilic circles after his Cannes win. But he’s been around cameras a while, mostly filming shorts and weddings (“I still do this,” he says). Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell is his first feature-length film.

An expansion of the 14-minute short called Stay Awake, Be Ready, the film follows Thiện (Lê Phong Vũ), a man who must travel to the misty and verdant highlands of Lâm Đồng Province to return his sister-in-law’s ashes. In the process, he relives memories and contemplates existence. (Another Cannes connection: The film’s short version received the Illy Award for Best Short Film in 2019.)

The Texas Observer spoke with Ân as the film debuted in Vietnamese cinemas. It’s expected in U.S. theaters soon: The classic and art house film distributor Kino Lorber has bought the North American rights to Ân’s film, the Hollywood Reporter revealed in July.

What were your joys and concerns upon learning your film possessed traits that both Vietnamese and international reviewers would consider rare, given its three-hour runtime?

The first cut of the film was around 3 hours and 40 minutes. After I sent it to my producers, I went out to the park. I felt anxious. I knew I had to wait for around a week or so for a response. It really felt like I was sending my own child away! Then the feedback came, and I was glad when people said the film was really engaging. In this first cut, I actually felt the story flowed better—for the version in theaters, I had to trim the long takes, for some I had to halve them!

Moreover, my producers advised that a lengthy film might face problems with distributors or even festivals. If a festival gets two great submissions, one running 3 hours and the other 1 hour and 30 minutes, of course, they’d prioritize the latter. But if they’ve picked the former, it means they love it, not just like it. This would force me to really think about every cut. And so, every cut would come with a prayer, a hope that I was right.

Phạm Thiên Ân’s Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell uses weather and other natural elements to help convey characters’ emotions. Courtesy of JK Film and Potocol

Were you surprised when they called your name at Cannes?

I told [producer Jeremy Chua] that I wanted to attend the ceremony only to see how famous filmmakers accept their awards. … I thought that I may have, at most, a Special Mention, but who could have guessed that I’d get the Caméra d’Or! Of course, I was ecstatic. Then, everything came—left and right I was pulled to meet the press and be interviewed.

Speaking of the press, many suggest that Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell is inspired by [fellow filmmakers] Theo Angelopoulos, Béla Tarr, Andrei Tarkovsky, or Tsai Ming-liang…

People have also named Apichatpong [Weerasethakul the Thai film director]. And it’s true—I’ve watched many movies and researched many directorial styles. I’m attracted to slow cinema, and the names you mentioned are all representatives of it, so of course they serve as influences. But despite being a younger-generation practitioner following the masters’ footsteps, I’d still try to add a personal touch. I take what I’ve learned from Tarkovsky or Angelopoulos, then localize it.

And you have. None of them have made slow cinema featuring the scenery of Lam Dong Province. 

[laughs]

“In all the films I’ve seen, whenever the weather changes, the people change.”

Nature predominates in Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell. Did you use nature to represent the emotions of the characters, perhaps even to express things on their behalf?

That’s the right thought to have. Tarkovsky once said “Cinema uses the materials given by nature itself,” and so in my film, I focus on elements about the weather, climate, people, animals, and related things. I feel that a film must have these because they are essential to life,  because they are life. And so, they can influence human beings: In all the films I’ve seen, whenever the weather changes, the people change. The most precise of filmmakers would focus on the weather to make their characters feel a certain way, and from there allow viewers to go deeper into the story.

I feel certain that the lead character Thien is your avatar, then.

Right. During casting, I’d search for a guy around my age, around 32. I build the character based on my feelings, my worldviews—after all, my film is about the contrasts in life, energy, and culture between Lam Dong, where I was born and raised, and Saigon, where I’m working. My character also has to move from one place to another. And I’ve had my own experiences with church, nuns, massage, and a far-off place where memories would rush back, which became characterization material.

Going deeper, I feel that Thien is having a crisis of faith, albeit of the private and quiet kind. If I may ask, did you go through one yourself? Or are you going through one?

My making of this film goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of my faith. At the start, I was filled with vagueness and uncertainty in my actions—but by the end, and with luck that I could read the signs from above, I felt that my faith became stronger and stronger. Only my character has a crisis of faith. Through the film, I realized that my faith has grown. I have grown.

What can we expect from your next work?

I’ll retain my style and spend even more time on Vietnam, the Vietnamese people, and all that surrounds them—their faith, each other, and nature.

A romantic embrace on a rainy day from Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, directed by Phạm Thiên Ân Courtesy of JK Film and Potocol