Thursday, January 31, 2013
Expert psychologist suggests the era of genius scientists is over
Expert psychologist suggests the era of genius scientists is over:
"This is because, he says, we've already discovered all the most basic ideas that describe how the natural world works. Any new work, will involve little more than adding to our knowledge base."
Actually we've heard this before -- just before the quantum revolution.
"This is because, he says, we've already discovered all the most basic ideas that describe how the natural world works. Any new work, will involve little more than adding to our knowledge base."
Actually we've heard this before -- just before the quantum revolution.
Oregon Is The Only State Left That Hasn't Imposed Any Restrictions On Abortion | ThinkProgress
Oregon Is The Only State Left That Hasn't Imposed Any Restrictions On Abortion | ThinkProgress:
Impressive. It's not often that Oregon is more progressive than Washington across the Columbia, and this has been true since territorial days, when free blacks crossed the river in order to own property, which was prohibited in the Oregon Territory.
Impressive. It's not often that Oregon is more progressive than Washington across the Columbia, and this has been true since territorial days, when free blacks crossed the river in order to own property, which was prohibited in the Oregon Territory.
Guns, guns, guns
I still want to know if arming yourself for an anticipated war against the government is considered treasonous. Not legally, I'm sure, but there's still something wrong with this attitude.
Oklahoma, Colorado And Arizona Push ALEC Bill To Require Teaching Climate Change Denial In Schools | ThinkProgress
Oklahoma, Colorado And Arizona Push ALEC Bill To Require Teaching Climate Change Denial In Schools | ThinkProgress:
What a country. Let's teach the Earth is flat and 6000 years old while we're at it.
What a country. Let's teach the Earth is flat and 6000 years old while we're at it.
'The Americans' Open Thread: In The Air Tonight | ThinkProgress
'The Americans' Open Thread: In The Air Tonight | ThinkProgress:
" I’m excited about the potential of The Americans for a great many reasons: its use of geopolitics to ask questions rather than assign solutions, its sick sense of humor, its portrait of domestic life, its louche use of eighties music."
The music was my least favorite part of the show: but I dislike, in general, dramatic resolution by pop song, which is the common strategy in TV drama. The best part of the show is the focus on relationship in the marriage, created after all by the KGB for practical reasons and now almost 20 years old, with 2 kids! Lots of room for this series to screw up, as they usually do, but so far, so good, in my book.
" I’m excited about the potential of The Americans for a great many reasons: its use of geopolitics to ask questions rather than assign solutions, its sick sense of humor, its portrait of domestic life, its louche use of eighties music."
The music was my least favorite part of the show: but I dislike, in general, dramatic resolution by pop song, which is the common strategy in TV drama. The best part of the show is the focus on relationship in the marriage, created after all by the KGB for practical reasons and now almost 20 years old, with 2 kids! Lots of room for this series to screw up, as they usually do, but so far, so good, in my book.
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing, Pros and Cons | The Passive Voice
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing, Pros and Cons | The Passive Voice:
Self-publishing has gained respect not because good literature has been self-published but because big sellers have been self-published. The dollar still determines credibility in the official literary universe. A century from now, if there are still readers, if there are still humans, I feel certain the consensus will be that the most interesting writing of our time was happening in the shadows. This is, in fact, a typical scenario. Those 19th C best selling authors I read at UCLA for a class remain unread EXCEPT in classrooms.
Self-publishing has gained respect not because good literature has been self-published but because big sellers have been self-published. The dollar still determines credibility in the official literary universe. A century from now, if there are still readers, if there are still humans, I feel certain the consensus will be that the most interesting writing of our time was happening in the shadows. This is, in fact, a typical scenario. Those 19th C best selling authors I read at UCLA for a class remain unread EXCEPT in classrooms.
At the bus stop
H had an early meeting so I got a ride to the bus stop. An Arab man was cramming for an English test: facts about the state of Utah, which struck me as an interesting unit in such a class. I helped him with pronunciation and told him a few extra things about Utah. I told him my appreciation of the difficulty of Arabic from my experience at the Army Language School: Russian was a twelve month course but Arabic and Chinese were eighteen months. Hope I helped him out.
In Praise of Slow Journalism : The New Yorker
In Praise of Slow Journalism : The New Yorker:
In my old age, I'm learning to appreciate writing at a snail's crawl instead of the earlier obsessive sprint I made through most of my career.
In my old age, I'm learning to appreciate writing at a snail's crawl instead of the earlier obsessive sprint I made through most of my career.
Brooding: the evolution of a story idea
The Reluctant Suicide ... CJ on the road ... ready to pass and angry this is neither easy nor accepted as rational ... he needs a companion ... enter Brinkley ... a long dialogue and argument on the road during a marathon game of gin rummy ... CJ the cynic ... Brinkley needs optimism and reason for it ... enter Chesterton ... Brinkley as modern Chesterton ... like Chesterton v Sartre ... how to live in corrupt world ... how to explain evil ... Catholic v existentialist ... whole cloth re my favorite aunt's conversion to Catholicism ... these bones hidden with entertaining flesh ... humor adventures surprises ... surface entertainment deeper complexity ... ah Durrenmatt always the model.
From inspiration to tragedy
Decades ago, when I was looking for the passage with which to end my one-man play about Wayne Morse, I finally settled on this:
How inspirational!, I thought. But we failed the promise of Morse's insight. We don't have a highly educated and enlightened citizenry. We have Congressmen on science committees who are scientifically illiterate. Our once leading country in matters of technology and education is now ranked far down a list of countries. Our schools have failed to educate our children into adults who know what evidence is, who know how to choose between alternatives with regard to what is more likely to be true. We have reinforced the value of mythology over reason.
Never was this more apparent to me than when watching the documentary about the Texas Board of Education. I wish these folks were the exception but they aren't. They are representative of a widespread ignorance in the land. We don't need terrorists to defeat us. We are quite capable of defeating ourselves.
MORSESo if you asked me, Wayne Morse, namethe one thing in our country that youthink will do more to strengthenAmerican foreign policy in the nexthalf century, you might be surprisedat my reply. I would say, Do somethingto protect the educational standard ofAmerican boys and girls. Do somethingto protect American brain power.Because the only sure and lastingdefense of peace is a highly educatedand enlightened citizenry.
Never was this more apparent to me than when watching the documentary about the Texas Board of Education. I wish these folks were the exception but they aren't. They are representative of a widespread ignorance in the land. We don't need terrorists to defeat us. We are quite capable of defeating ourselves.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Americans
Need to read script in morning.
New Salinger Book And Film Coming Within Next Year
New Salinger Book And Film Coming Within Next Year:
An oral history/biography, JDS as subject, not author.
An oral history/biography, JDS as subject, not author.
Bear River Massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bear River Massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Bear River Massacre, or the Battle of Bear River and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place in present-day Idaho on January 29, 1863."
Thanks to TS for info.
"The Bear River Massacre, or the Battle of Bear River and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place in present-day Idaho on January 29, 1863."
Thanks to TS for info.
Sketch has the right idea
Catching a few winks beside me on the divan. Still have two scripts to read but need a second wind. Also dinner to make ... all the prep done. Korean beef strips, rice, steamed vegies.
Easy day tomorrow ... show Juno ... but pick up more student work for busy weekend.
Will I watch Super Bowl? Be last minute decision. Not sure what H is doing.
Still upset by Texas school board. Kids are victims of adult stupidity.
Easy day tomorrow ... show Juno ... but pick up more student work for busy weekend.
Will I watch Super Bowl? Be last minute decision. Not sure what H is doing.
Still upset by Texas school board. Kids are victims of adult stupidity.
An easy scrapple recipe in your kitchen -- photos
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| Make stock: simmer carrot, parsnip, turnip, garlic, water for an hour or two. |
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| Prepare 1.5 lbs sausage ... I use Jimmy Dean's Maple Sausage |
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| Add sausage to stock, simmer up to another hour. |
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| Drain into bowl. Add 2c of stock back to pot on stove. |
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| Mash together all the sausage and bits of the vegetables |
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| Grind mashed mixture, add to stock |
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| Mix 1c cornmeal, 1 envelope gelatin, 1c leftover stock and add to stock on stove |
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| Thicken over medium heat, stirring constantly. |
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| Pour into loaf pans. Cool. Cover and refrigerate until use. Slice, flour and fry half-inch slices until crispy. Serve with eggs for breakfast.
I love this scrapple!
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When American Exceptionalism is embarrassing
Just watched a documentary I recorded from PBS's Independent Lens. Follows the Texas School Board in its process of adapting science and history textbooks. I've never seen a greater public display of ignorance in my life. People who read the Bible literally, who think the Earth is only 6000 years old, are deciding which SCIENCE textbooks school kids will study in public schools. Appalling. Makes me sick in my stomach. These poor kids. This is an embarrassment to the world. Exceptionalism indeed.
Hey, let's make a photo essay
Making scrapple day -- and I got a flash to shoot photos along the way to document the process here. Why the hell not? It's easier than the traditional way but the product is first rate. I've done both, believe me. My recipe is the result of years of experimentation, traditional and otherwise, and matches my taste buds. It may not match yours, but I'll show you a process within which you can do your own experimentation and satisfy your own taste buds. Maybe I can get this up this afternoon.
A couple late scripts to look at. Laundry. Writing, I hope! Writing has become rather back burner, quite a change from a life of obsessive writing, divorces, etc etc etc. Ha ha ha. Life is a hoot!
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a gurgle.
Chris Connor on the radio! Man, she is one fine vocalist. O dying tired world, that has such voices in it.
A couple late scripts to look at. Laundry. Writing, I hope! Writing has become rather back burner, quite a change from a life of obsessive writing, divorces, etc etc etc. Ha ha ha. Life is a hoot!
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a gurgle.
Chris Connor on the radio! Man, she is one fine vocalist. O dying tired world, that has such voices in it.
Matthew Chapman: Guns, Guys, and Gelding -- How to Stop Men and Boys Shooting People in America
Matthew Chapman: Guns, Guys, and Gelding -- How to Stop Men and Boys Shooting People in America:
"Nowhere in America is anyone proposing a serious ban on weapons, yet gun lovers squeal in hysterical fear and frighten everyone else. It must be a form of Infantile Castration Anxiety. "
"Nowhere in America is anyone proposing a serious ban on weapons, yet gun lovers squeal in hysterical fear and frighten everyone else. It must be a form of Infantile Castration Anxiety. "
Sea change: the Bay of Bengal's vanishing islands | John Vidal | Environment | guardian.co.uk
Sea change: the Bay of Bengal's vanishing islands | John Vidal | Environment | guardian.co.uk:
"Rapid erosion and rising sea levels are increasingly threatening the existence of islands off the coast of Bangladesh and India"
"Rapid erosion and rising sea levels are increasingly threatening the existence of islands off the coast of Bangladesh and India"
America's Plants, Fish And Wildlife Are Already Facing A Climate Crisis | ThinkProgress
America's Plants, Fish And Wildlife Are Already Facing A Climate Crisis | ThinkProgress:
"Without significant new steps to reduce carbon pollution, our planet will warm by 7 to 11°F by the end of the century, with devastating consequences for wildlife."
If and when we act, likely to be too little, too late. We don/'t have a good record for rationality or even common sense.
"Without significant new steps to reduce carbon pollution, our planet will warm by 7 to 11°F by the end of the century, with devastating consequences for wildlife."
If and when we act, likely to be too little, too late. We don/'t have a good record for rationality or even common sense.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Evenings with Kindle
Have opportunity to pick up Kindle Fire at terrific sale ... tempting but it's not what I need. I have K3 and would love to see it improved re web access ... faster and more flexible. Highly unlikely ... though they did upgrade software recently ... surprised me. K3 almost perfect for my needs. Might entertain Fire if it did netbook things re writing.
Netbook and K3 do everything I need to do.
Netbook and K3 do everything I need to do.
Recent reading
Oswald: Assassin or Fall Guy?
It always astounds me when something as important as this book escapes my attention until long after its publication -- and I've read a lot in this area.
What is remarkable about this book is that it was published before the Warren Report came out (!) -- but in Europe because no American publisher would touch it (until now). Well documented and convincing, in my view. This guy was far, far ahead of the "conspiracy curve," which unfortunately became tainted by some irrational, weird positions within its family of theories. Like me, Joesten pays a lot of attention to the original reports of the first doctors to see the body (i.e. there was an ENTRANCE wound in the throat).
It always astounds me when something as important as this book escapes my attention until long after its publication -- and I've read a lot in this area.
What I'm reading
Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam
Also started what looks like an excellent bio of Edward Albee.
A well-documented, very disturbing, indeed horrific, perspective on "the American war."
Also started what looks like an excellent bio of Edward Albee.
WRITING THE HISTORY PLAY
WRITING THE HISTORY PLAY:
"Why dramatists lie in the pursuit of truth"
With the recent controversies about films based on history, I thought I'd post a link to my own reflections on the issues. I've written more history drama than most playwrights, I think.
"Why dramatists lie in the pursuit of truth"
Robert Reich: The Non Zero-Sum Society
Robert Reich: The Non Zero-Sum Society:
"If they were rational, the wealthy would support public investments in education and job-training, a world-class infrastructure (transportation, water and sewage, energy, internet), and basic research -- all of which would make the American workforce more productive."
"If they were rational, the wealthy would support public investments in education and job-training, a world-class infrastructure (transportation, water and sewage, energy, internet), and basic research -- all of which would make the American workforce more productive."
'Finnegans Wake' is new Chinese publishing hit | The Passive Voice
'Finnegans Wake' is new Chinese publishing hit | The Passive Voice:
What!? This is amazing. How in hell could you translate it into ANYthing???
What!? This is amazing. How in hell could you translate it into ANYthing???
“Sniffer of carrion, premature gravedigger, seeker of the nest of evil in the bosom of a good word, you, who sleep at our vigil and fast for our feast, you with your dislocated reason, have cutely foretold, a jophet in your own absence, by blind poring upon your many scalds and burns and blisters, impetiginous sore and pustules, by the auspices of that raven cloud, your shade, and by the auguries of rooks in parlament, death with every disaster, the dynamatisation of colleagues, the reducing of records to ashes, the levelling of all customs by blazes, the return of a lot of sweetempered gunpowdered didst unto dudst but it never stphruck your mudhead's obtundity (O hell, here comes our funeral! O pest, I'll miss the post!) that the more carrots you chop, the more turnips you slit, the more murphies you peel, the more onions you cry over, the more bullbeef you butch, the more mutton you crackerhack, the more potherbs you pound, the fiercer the fire and the longer your spoon and the harder you gruel with more grease to your elbow the merrier fumes your new Irish stew.”
― James Joyce, Finnegans Wake
No one is asking | The Passive Voice
No one is asking | The Passive Voice:
"No one is asking, let alone demanding, that you write. The world is not waiting with bated breath for your article or book. Whether or not you get a single word on paper, the sun will rise, the earth will spin, the universe will expand. Writing is forever and always a choice – your choice.
Beth Mende Conny"
"No one is asking, let alone demanding, that you write. The world is not waiting with bated breath for your article or book. Whether or not you get a single word on paper, the sun will rise, the earth will spin, the universe will expand. Writing is forever and always a choice – your choice.
Beth Mende Conny"
Starwatch: The February night sky | Science | The Guardian
Starwatch: The February night sky | Science | The Guardian:
"Our most stunning evening sky of the year sees Orion striding across the meridian between the brightest star Sirius and the even brighter Jupiter. The giant planet is unmistakable high in the SE and above Orion at nightfall, moving into the SW by our map times as Orion reaches the SSW and Sirius scintillates low down in the S."
"Our most stunning evening sky of the year sees Orion striding across the meridian between the brightest star Sirius and the even brighter Jupiter. The giant planet is unmistakable high in the SE and above Orion at nightfall, moving into the SW by our map times as Orion reaches the SSW and Sirius scintillates low down in the S."
One Billion Rising: 'It's Like a Feminist Tsunami' | Common Dreams
One Billion Rising: 'It's Like a Feminist Tsunami' | Common Dreams:
"Since Eve Ensler launched the One Billion Rising campaign to end violence against women she has been repeatedly asked: is it a dance movement or overtly political? A protest or a giant global celebration? Just a few weeks before 14 February, the date that Ensler, activist and author of The Vagina Monologues, designated the "day to rise", she says: "I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime.""
"Since Eve Ensler launched the One Billion Rising campaign to end violence against women she has been repeatedly asked: is it a dance movement or overtly political? A protest or a giant global celebration? Just a few weeks before 14 February, the date that Ensler, activist and author of The Vagina Monologues, designated the "day to rise", she says: "I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime.""
Monday, January 28, 2013
Serious Fiction and #LegitLit: Creating a Hybrid Home | Welcome to Exeter...
Serious Fiction and #LegitLit: Creating a Hybrid Home | Welcome to Exeter...:
Well, well, well. Literary fiction is missed but renamed serious fiction, the important point being that more and more readers miss it. As a reader said about Doris Lessing: “She’s one of those authors that makes me not want to read another book for a long time because there’s always a lot to absorb and reflect upon.”
Well, well, well. Literary fiction is missed but renamed serious fiction, the important point being that more and more readers miss it. As a reader said about Doris Lessing: “She’s one of those authors that makes me not want to read another book for a long time because there’s always a lot to absorb and reflect upon.”
Comfort for comfort
Had what has become my traditional "comfort food" breakfast, scrapple and eggs on milk toast. Comfort breakfast for a mellow, comfortable morning. The key is prep: only a few loose ends to tie and I'm ready for another week of classes. Prep reduces the stress level. Stress is my enemy, and I work diligently to avoid it.
Hope to do some writing this afternoon. Also have chores, out to get the makings for scrapple, so I can make a new batch Wednesday.
I've identified two "natural born screenwriters" in class so far. This is good. Good work is always more fun to read but in the beginning the vast majority haven't yet understood they are not writing novels here. I rewrite their first scenes, get them online, project them on a screen, so the clear rhetorical difference between screenwriting and prose is abundantly clear. Or at least I hope so.
For example:
Hope to do some writing this afternoon. Also have chores, out to get the makings for scrapple, so I can make a new batch Wednesday.
I've identified two "natural born screenwriters" in class so far. This is good. Good work is always more fun to read but in the beginning the vast majority haven't yet understood they are not writing novels here. I rewrite their first scenes, get them online, project them on a screen, so the clear rhetorical difference between screenwriting and prose is abundantly clear. Or at least I hope so.
For example:
The difference is quite extraordinary, really, the difference between a literary document and a blueprint for a movie. You can SEE the difference at a glance, which is why many scripts get rejected unread. They don't even look like a spec screenplay. It takes some students a while to understand this and resist their old verbose writing habits.
Michael Specter: Is Dr. Oz Doing More Harm Than Good? : The New Yorker
Michael Specter: Is Dr. Oz Doing More Harm Than Good? : The New Yorker:
"Is the most trusted doctor in America doing more harm than good?"
H digs this guy but I don't trust him.
"Is the most trusted doctor in America doing more harm than good?"
H digs this guy but I don't trust him.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Work and reward
Spent the morning on the most labor-intensive grunt work in prep for this week's classes. Checked email afterwards to find a nice note from couple who had read and enjoyed Love At Ground Zero. Nice they took the time to tell me. Liked H's painting of same title as well.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Polydrama
from wikipedia's bio of Alma Mahler Werfel
Sounds like hyperdrama to me. Thanks, H. (Note: this is over 10 years after my Chateau de Mort and even longer after Tamara in Canada.)In 1996, Israeli writer Joshua Sobol and Austrian director Paulus Manker created the polydrama Alma. It played in Vienna for six successive seasons, and toured with over 400 performances to Venice, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Petronell, Berlin, Semmering, Jerusalem and Prague — all places where Mahler-Werfel had lived. The show was made into a three part mini TV-series in 1997. The scenes of Mahler Werfel's life were performed simultaneously on all floors and in all rooms of a special building. The guests were invited to abandon the immobilized position of a spectator in a conventional drama, replace it with the mobile activity of a traveller, and watch a "theatrical journey". Each audience member chose the events, the path, and the person to follow after each event, thus constructing her or his personal version of the "Polydrama."
More about hyperdrama.
Friday, January 25, 2013
A quarter century ago
In the mid 1980s, a NY actress was in Portland and happened to see my play based on the life of Moliere, The Comedian In Spite Of Himself (later rewritten as Sad Laughter). She was so impressed with it that she wanted to be in it -- in NY. To this end, she got a copy of the script from the theater company and sent it to her buddy, the legendary producer/director Hal Prince.
Later Prince sent me a short note about the play, calling it "first rate work." Then he excused himself from involvement because he was busy with an obsessive project. In a few years, this project would open. It was Phantom of the Opera, which now has been playing for 25 years on Broadway.
Well, if one is going to "lose out," might as well lose out to the best ha ha. And there's nothing wrong with Prince praising your work.
Later Prince sent me a short note about the play, calling it "first rate work." Then he excused himself from involvement because he was busy with an obsessive project. In a few years, this project would open. It was Phantom of the Opera, which now has been playing for 25 years on Broadway.
Well, if one is going to "lose out," might as well lose out to the best ha ha. And there's nothing wrong with Prince praising your work.
Puttering
Mellow morning, prep for the pot roast, now in oven; minor rewriting on the thriller to get it up to date; organizing students scripts, unread; hanging around with Sketch. Not a bad morning for an old fart.
Our Town in Washington, DC: Theater and Dance Events on washingtonpost.com
Our Town in Washington, DC: Theater and Dance Events on washingtonpost.com:
"For better or worse, the reputation of “Our Town” precedes it. Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer-winner-turned-community-theater-staple has name recognition even beyond the casual theater fan. Just the title of the play conjures its quaint setting -- the fictional New England town of Grover’s Corners in the early 20th century -- and its renown as a sentimental tear-jerker.
That wasn’t the play Wilder set out to write, and it certainly isn’t the production Stephen Rayne is showcasing at Ford’s Theatre in celebration of the drama’s 75th anniversary. "
I would love to see this production. A great play, usually mangled. Sounds like this one is true to the heart of the material.
"For better or worse, the reputation of “Our Town” precedes it. Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer-winner-turned-community-theater-staple has name recognition even beyond the casual theater fan. Just the title of the play conjures its quaint setting -- the fictional New England town of Grover’s Corners in the early 20th century -- and its renown as a sentimental tear-jerker.
That wasn’t the play Wilder set out to write, and it certainly isn’t the production Stephen Rayne is showcasing at Ford’s Theatre in celebration of the drama’s 75th anniversary. "
I would love to see this production. A great play, usually mangled. Sounds like this one is true to the heart of the material.
Earl Carroll obituary | Music | guardian.co.uk
Earl Carroll obituary | Music | guardian.co.uk:
"Lead singer of the doo-wop group the Cadillacs"
His real name is Mr. Earl.
"Lead singer of the doo-wop group the Cadillacs"
Iran creates fake blogs in smear campaign against journalists in exile | World news | The Guardian
Iran creates fake blogs in smear campaign against journalists in exile | World news | The Guardian:
Man, the tools for fraud have become so sophisticated, the options so many, it makes a dinosaur long for the pre-digital days when fraud was a bit more direct. Sometimes I think I could be very happy in a small desert town with a typewriter, de-wired like in the old days.
Man, the tools for fraud have become so sophisticated, the options so many, it makes a dinosaur long for the pre-digital days when fraud was a bit more direct. Sometimes I think I could be very happy in a small desert town with a typewriter, de-wired like in the old days.
This and that before sunrise
* Reread unfinished short thriller for Kindle I began some months ago. Very engaging! Flaw in set up ... easily fixed. Should finish this.
* My best selling Kindle book is about booze. Argues for science and knowledge as Higher Power. Now and again hear from someone struggling to quit. Like this morning. I urge non mystical common sense. Treat booze like gravity.
,* First script pages to read. Always look forward to it ... hoping to discover talent.
* Pot roast Friday.
* My best selling Kindle book is about booze. Argues for science and knowledge as Higher Power. Now and again hear from someone struggling to quit. Like this morning. I urge non mystical common sense. Treat booze like gravity.
,* First script pages to read. Always look forward to it ... hoping to discover talent.
* Pot roast Friday.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
New Mexico Bill Would Imprison Rape Victims Who Receive Abortions | ThinkProgress
New Mexico Bill Would Imprison Rape Victims Who Receive Abortions | ThinkProgress: tampering with evidence!
O brave new world, that has such logic in it!
O brave new world, that has such logic in it!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Australian Open
Both women's semi's tonight ... I'll be watching. Love to see a Sharapova - Stephens final.
LATER. Sharapova got creamed, 6-2, 6-2.
LATER. Sharapova got creamed, 6-2, 6-2.
Hypertext and Hyperdrama by Tegan Zimmerman on Prezi
Hypertext and Hyperdrama by Tegan Zimmerman on Prezi:
"After reading The Last Song of Violeta Parra, What might be some characteristics of hyperdrama ? how does it compare to traditional plays? Hyperdrama Activity and Passivity Deemer was discontented with what he called Single Vision theatre and the traditional passive individual in the audience. His hyperdrama allows the reader to follow different exits and entries of all characters both minor and major = socialist. Deemer writes, "in hyperdrama, the traditional linear narrative line explodes into branches, multiplying the action on a 'stage' into simultaneous scenes occurring throughout a performance space. The bolted chairs of the audience are uprooted to give the audience mobility, an opportunity to follow different branches of the narrative line as they unfold into different, often distant, areas of this expanded new "stage." Astrid Ensslin writes that "the main hyper-dramatic effect is the transfer of choice to the viewer" (81)."
Considerable discussion of my one-act hyperdrama.
"After reading The Last Song of Violeta Parra, What might be some characteristics of hyperdrama ? how does it compare to traditional plays? Hyperdrama Activity and Passivity Deemer was discontented with what he called Single Vision theatre and the traditional passive individual in the audience. His hyperdrama allows the reader to follow different exits and entries of all characters both minor and major = socialist. Deemer writes, "in hyperdrama, the traditional linear narrative line explodes into branches, multiplying the action on a 'stage' into simultaneous scenes occurring throughout a performance space. The bolted chairs of the audience are uprooted to give the audience mobility, an opportunity to follow different branches of the narrative line as they unfold into different, often distant, areas of this expanded new "stage." Astrid Ensslin writes that "the main hyper-dramatic effect is the transfer of choice to the viewer" (81)."
Considerable discussion of my one-act hyperdrama.
Hollywood down under
19 year old Sloane Stephens worships Serena Williams. Poster on the bedroom wall. So they meet in quarter finals at Australian Open. And the teenager wins!
This sets up a possible final with former teenage sensation Sharapova, now an old hand at 25. Did I mention this is an exciting tournament?
This sets up a possible final with former teenage sensation Sharapova, now an old hand at 25. Did I mention this is an exciting tournament?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Even in the city
Last night's wonderful moon-Jupiter conjunction as seen in West Hollywood. Looked great in my backyard, too.
Obama has the majority
Republicans are trying to cast Obama's inaugural speech as fringe opinion. Not so. He has majority support for all his major points.
Is It Time to Treat Violence Like a Contagious Disease? | Wired Science | Wired.com
Is It Time to Treat Violence Like a Contagious Disease? | Wired Science | Wired.com:
"“It’s extremely important to understand this differently than the way we’ve been understanding it,” said Gary Slutkin, a University of Chicago epidemiologist who founded Cure Violence, an anti-violence organization that treats violence as contagion. “We need to understand this as a biological health matter and an epidemiologic process.”"
Haven't heard this argument before.
"“It’s extremely important to understand this differently than the way we’ve been understanding it,” said Gary Slutkin, a University of Chicago epidemiologist who founded Cure Violence, an anti-violence organization that treats violence as contagion. “We need to understand this as a biological health matter and an epidemiologic process.”"
Haven't heard this argument before.
Li-Sharapova clash in Australian Open - The West Australian
Li-Sharapova clash in Australian Open - The West Australian:
"Maria Sharapova is quick to set records and quicker still to dismiss them
She was at it again on Tuesday, setting a new mark for the least number of games conceded at the Australian Open en route to the semi-finals."
Sharapova is on a real tear. If she can win this one, she likely will face her old nemesis Serena Williams in the final. Would possibly be a great match. (Williams plays a new teenage prodigy in semis and, man, an upset would be cool.)
"Maria Sharapova is quick to set records and quicker still to dismiss them
She was at it again on Tuesday, setting a new mark for the least number of games conceded at the Australian Open en route to the semi-finals."
Sharapova is on a real tear. If she can win this one, she likely will face her old nemesis Serena Williams in the final. Would possibly be a great match. (Williams plays a new teenage prodigy in semis and, man, an upset would be cool.)
Monday, January 21, 2013
American nightmare
Here is my experience as an American citizen ... every time a popular progressive leader rises to challenge entrenched power, he gets assassinated. Obama just put himself on someone's enemy's list. I fear for him. As in so many things lately, I hope my sense of the future is wrong.
Attitude
What's wrong with the world, wrote Chesterton, is that we don't ask what's right with it. This is not a statement of ideology. After all, I may reply that what's right is a community food co-op. It's a statement of attitude. It says the glass is half full, not half empty. This conflict is a major theme in my developing novel. Brinkley for half full. CJ for half empty. A novel of ideas, destined for commercial failure. Big deal. It might end up as good as I think it can be.
Remarkable speech
Pundits are calling the inaugural address the most progressive ever given on such an occasion. Obama mentioned gay equality ... climate change ... none of the usual indirection. His State of the Union may be interesting indeed.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Aha!
What I don't get about numerous films today that are called funny but that I find stupid and boring, what troubles me about them, is that OTHER people find them funny. What planet is this?
Thank the gods I don't root for Atlanta
How hard to be a Falcons fan! Blow a 20 pt lead last week and get lucky to win. Blow a 17 pt today and ... no luck. 49ers go to Super Bowl.
If Baltimore gets the upset, bro v bro as coaches. Hope so but NE is good.
If Baltimore gets the upset, bro v bro as coaches. Hope so but NE is good.
On track
Finished reading student work. Now grunt work putting concepts online for discussion.
Watching playoffs with only semi interest.
Dinner creation ... baked Korean chicken and vegies.
Watching playoffs with only semi interest.
Dinner creation ... baked Korean chicken and vegies.
Lance Armstrong's victims unmoved by television doping confession | Sport | The Observer
Lance Armstrong's victims unmoved by television doping confession | Sport | The Observer:
Don't blame them. He's a control freak, trying to get back into the sport.
Don't blame them. He's a control freak, trying to get back into the sport.
Sundance 2013: How did a newbie make an unapproved film in Disney parks? - latimes.com
Sundance 2013: How did a newbie make an unapproved film in Disney parks? - latimes.com:
I dig this kind of filmmaking, having done a little myself. However, I did so with no intention whatever of being commercial. So his risk is far greater.
I dig this kind of filmmaking, having done a little myself. However, I did so with no intention whatever of being commercial. So his risk is far greater.
Ah, youth!
At dinner last night was a young couple so visibly and electrically in love, they charged the restaurant with the celebration and mystery of it. Can it last? Many a couple at one another's throats during breakup have shared an earlier magic. Very few grow together and keep it.
So enjoy it while you can, my young diners. May you be the exception to the usual loss.
So enjoy it while you can, my young diners. May you be the exception to the usual loss.
Cosmic couple
Go outside tonight and look straight up. Jupiter and the moon are less than a degree apart.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
What I should do today
Museum and dinner this eve. In the meantime what I should do is ...
... look at student story concepts and comment
... work on Brinkley story
... work on outside in story
... rework screenwriting article getting repub in Australia
... bindle up and rake leaves
... take Sketch for a chilly run (if I can pry him away from the heating vent)
... stop blogging about this and DO anything
... look at student story concepts and comment
... work on Brinkley story
... work on outside in story
... rework screenwriting article getting repub in Australia
... bindle up and rake leaves
... take Sketch for a chilly run (if I can pry him away from the heating vent)
... stop blogging about this and DO anything
Whole cloth
This morning I decided it would be fun to revisit Chesterton's Father Brown stories. Bingo! I already had decided that Bribkley, my narrator, was Catholic. The opposite of CJ. What if Brinkley reads Chesterton? Is a fan of his book What Is Wrong With The World? C's short answer: what is wrong with the world is that no one asks what is right with it.
Stirring the stew. The work at hand comes from the life at hand. Whole cloth.
Stirring the stew. The work at hand comes from the life at hand. Whole cloth.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Perfect world
Here's an omen ... so Seattle gives a school an armed security guard. Make everybody safer, right? So the guard leaves his gun in the little boy's room! That's one way to arm the kiddies.
The usual suspects
A morning dedicated to making scrapple. Maybe a movie this afternoon. Back to work tomorrow.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Daily Kos: Discussing White Privilege with High School Students is Apparently "Indoctrination" and "Anti-White"
Daily Kos: Discussing White Privilege with High School Students is Apparently "Indoctrination" and "Anti-White":
"Over the last few decades, there has been an Orwellian turn in American education. It extends from grade school to the university level.
What counts as educational content is being dictated by the logic of the capitalist marketplace, teachers are being subjected to onerous surveillance and harassment, intellectual freedom is being made subject to the political aims of outside actors, and the value of teachers is being undermined by destroying public unions, eliminating tenure, and forcing college professors into a permanent contingent labor force."
I haven't seen evidence of this where I am -- but then I have a very limited view, primarily within my own classes. And I am a very happy camper.
"Over the last few decades, there has been an Orwellian turn in American education. It extends from grade school to the university level.
What counts as educational content is being dictated by the logic of the capitalist marketplace, teachers are being subjected to onerous surveillance and harassment, intellectual freedom is being made subject to the political aims of outside actors, and the value of teachers is being undermined by destroying public unions, eliminating tenure, and forcing college professors into a permanent contingent labor force."
I haven't seen evidence of this where I am -- but then I have a very limited view, primarily within my own classes. And I am a very happy camper.
Diversity at Sundance
News from The Associated Press:
"For the first time, half of the films featured were made by women."
"For the first time, half of the films featured were made by women."
Daily Kos: Icelandic Exceptionalism
Daily Kos: Icelandic Exceptionalism:
I love this story! Let's hear it for Iceland!
 |
| "a youthful and defiant creative scene" |
Kelly receives hero's welcome in Philly
News from The Associated Press:
"PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A sign reading "Our Chip's Come In" greeted Chip Kelly outside the Philadelphia Eagles' practice facility on his first day as head coach, and a few fans drove down Pattison Avenue honking their horns to salute the hiring.
A new era for the Eagles has begun."
"PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A sign reading "Our Chip's Come In" greeted Chip Kelly outside the Philadelphia Eagles' practice facility on his first day as head coach, and a few fans drove down Pattison Avenue honking their horns to salute the hiring.
A new era for the Eagles has begun."
The Atlantic’s Scientology problem, start to finish
The Atlantic’s Scientology problem, start to finish:
"The piece was classified as “sponsor content,” hardly a novel approach to generating online revenue. Natalie Raabe, a spokeswoman for the Atlantic, says that such “native ads” are making their way onto TheAtlantic.com on a “regular basis,” though figures weren’t immediately available.
Native ads are critical to The Atlantic’s livelihood. They are one element of digital advertising revenue, which in 2012 accounted for a striking 59 percent of the brand’s overall advertising revenue haul. Unclear just how much of the digital advertising revenue stems from sponsor content. We’re working on that.
Though the Atlantic has done many such advertorial packages in the past, Raabe says that it hasn’t received complaints — at least that she’s aware of."
I know something about this challenge. I was managing editor during the first years of Oregon Business Magazine. The ad folks were always trading ads for stories, without consulting me, and it always irked me. It was impossible to criticize a major advertiser in our pages. Our business profiles by and large were fluff pieces, some written by me, some assigned to freelancers.
At the same time, I somehow managed to do some work there that I'm still proud of, especially a long profile of former Gov. Tom McCall shortly before he died, a result of hanging with him for a week with a tape recorder on. I caught him in a time of life when he was ready to go on record about certain things for the first time. Old time journalists in town were amazed by my piece, by what I got him to say, but it was just good timing. And maybe that we got along and the unusual method I talked him into, just hanging and talking, from which I manufactured an interview the way a playwright creates dialogue, then let him revise it. He was a journalist himself and didn't think much of my suggestion at first. But it worked out. For both of us, I think.
"The piece was classified as “sponsor content,” hardly a novel approach to generating online revenue. Natalie Raabe, a spokeswoman for the Atlantic, says that such “native ads” are making their way onto TheAtlantic.com on a “regular basis,” though figures weren’t immediately available.
Native ads are critical to The Atlantic’s livelihood. They are one element of digital advertising revenue, which in 2012 accounted for a striking 59 percent of the brand’s overall advertising revenue haul. Unclear just how much of the digital advertising revenue stems from sponsor content. We’re working on that.
Though the Atlantic has done many such advertorial packages in the past, Raabe says that it hasn’t received complaints — at least that she’s aware of."
I know something about this challenge. I was managing editor during the first years of Oregon Business Magazine. The ad folks were always trading ads for stories, without consulting me, and it always irked me. It was impossible to criticize a major advertiser in our pages. Our business profiles by and large were fluff pieces, some written by me, some assigned to freelancers.
 |
| Oregon's former governor Tom McCall |
Obama Versus Physics - Realizing the Vision - Utne Reader
Obama Versus Physics - Realizing the Vision - Utne Reader:
"We’re talking about a fight between human beings and physics. And physics is entirely uninterested in human timetables. Physics couldn't care less if precipitous action raises gas prices, or damages the coal industry in swing states. It could care less whether putting a price on carbon slowed the pace of development in China, or made agribusiness less profitable.
Physics doesn’t understand that rapid action on climate change threatens the most lucrative business on Earth, the fossil fuel industry. It’s implacable. It takes the carbon dioxide we produce and translates it into heat, which means into melting ice and rising oceans and gathering storms. And unlike other problems, the less you do, the worse it gets. Do nothing and you soon have a nightmare on your hands."
Hear, hear!
"We’re talking about a fight between human beings and physics. And physics is entirely uninterested in human timetables. Physics couldn't care less if precipitous action raises gas prices, or damages the coal industry in swing states. It could care less whether putting a price on carbon slowed the pace of development in China, or made agribusiness less profitable.
Physics doesn’t understand that rapid action on climate change threatens the most lucrative business on Earth, the fossil fuel industry. It’s implacable. It takes the carbon dioxide we produce and translates it into heat, which means into melting ice and rising oceans and gathering storms. And unlike other problems, the less you do, the worse it gets. Do nothing and you soon have a nightmare on your hands."
Hear, hear!
Manti Te'o Hoax: Notre Dame Star's Girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, Never Existed Or Died Tragically
Manti Te'o Hoax: Notre Dame Star's Girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, Never Existed Or Died Tragically:
This is another sad and strange story. I find it hard to believe the player is so naive that he knew nothing about this. The alternative, to create the hoax to get sympathy and improve his chances for the Heisman, makes more sense in this day of jock ego-maniacs. His friends and family say he is too nice to do this. But if he's a victim, he is a damn stupid and naive one. Yet it can happen. In the best high school class I ever took, we ran an "underground campaign" to elect a fictitious person to student body VP -- and won!
This is another sad and strange story. I find it hard to believe the player is so naive that he knew nothing about this. The alternative, to create the hoax to get sympathy and improve his chances for the Heisman, makes more sense in this day of jock ego-maniacs. His friends and family say he is too nice to do this. But if he's a victim, he is a damn stupid and naive one. Yet it can happen. In the best high school class I ever took, we ran an "underground campaign" to elect a fictitious person to student body VP -- and won!
American mythology
Actually most folks have better sense than the noise makers. That's what will make this so interesting. To what degree does any semblance of democracy still work around here? I'm ever the cynic and ever eager to be proven wrong. Call me CJ ha ha. Brinkley is my saner angel.
Decisions, decisions
H had to come to town early, I caught a ride rather than stand in the freeze waiting for a bus. But what to do about breakfast? Instead of the usual university options I choose among, I grabbed a flatbread sandwich from Subway, sausage, cheese and eggs, and it's quite good. Add to the options list.
Lots of time before class. Try to get some writing done. Latest draft is on my cloud, I can fetch from anywhere.
Lots of time before class. Try to get some writing done. Latest draft is on my cloud, I can fetch from anywhere.
Horsemeat
Today's Guardian is full of a horsemeat scandal in the UK ... restaurants using it in their burgers.
I practically lived on horsemeat during my year in Pdx after dropping out of grad school in the sixties. There was a horsemeat market on SE Hawthorne. Reed students had published a horsemeat cookbook. I think it was the protein of choice for the bohemian set. Many a dinner featured Salisbury Mare from the cookbook. I'd eat horsemeat today if I could conveniently get it. Nothing is better in spaghetti sauce.
Also see What horsemeat tastes like.
I practically lived on horsemeat during my year in Pdx after dropping out of grad school in the sixties. There was a horsemeat market on SE Hawthorne. Reed students had published a horsemeat cookbook. I think it was the protein of choice for the bohemian set. Many a dinner featured Salisbury Mare from the cookbook. I'd eat horsemeat today if I could conveniently get it. Nothing is better in spaghetti sauce.
Also see What horsemeat tastes like.
Subtext
There are folks in the land who want to keep their assault rifles because they expect to use them. They expect to use them one day against the government. I believe this is called treason.
What color will such folks turn if you suggest their behavior could lead to treason?
Where were their support and enthusiasm for guns when the Black Panthers armed themselves in the sixties?
What color will such folks turn if you suggest their behavior could lead to treason?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
No-Book Library? BiblioTech Is Coming | The Passive Voice
No-Book Library? BiblioTech Is Coming | The Passive Voice:
"It sounds like an oxymoron, but come the fall of 2013, San Antonio’s Bexar County is going to be home to the BiblioTech, the country’s first book-less public library. Of course, there will be books — just e-books, not physical books."
"It sounds like an oxymoron, but come the fall of 2013, San Antonio’s Bexar County is going to be home to the BiblioTech, the country’s first book-less public library. Of course, there will be books — just e-books, not physical books."
How Obsequious Media Coverage Perpetuates NRA Mythology | Common Dreams
How Obsequious Media Coverage Perpetuates NRA Mythology | Common Dreams:
"Since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school shocked the nation in December, support for the gun-safety movement—and presumably for the initiatives that Biden and his task force are announcing—has grown at an exponentially greater rate than support for the NRA.
The Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign, which has opened its membership rolls to citizens who want to work with local elected officials to promote gun safety, attracted 400,000 new members in late December and early January. And more than 900,000 Americans signed a “Demand a Plan” petition seeking specific details of what will be done to dial down gun violence."
"Since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school shocked the nation in December, support for the gun-safety movement—and presumably for the initiatives that Biden and his task force are announcing—has grown at an exponentially greater rate than support for the NRA.
The Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign, which has opened its membership rolls to citizens who want to work with local elected officials to promote gun safety, attracted 400,000 new members in late December and early January. And more than 900,000 Americans signed a “Demand a Plan” petition seeking specific details of what will be done to dial down gun violence."
Champions of 'Idle No More' Stage Blockades Across Canada | Common Dreams
Champions of 'Idle No More' Stage Blockades Across Canada | Common Dreams:
""We're sending the message very clearly with the railway blockade that [there's] going to be no more stolen property being sold until such time that they come to the table and deal with the original owners," said Terry Nelson, a former chief of the Roseau River First Nation in southern Manitoba."
""We're sending the message very clearly with the railway blockade that [there's] going to be no more stolen property being sold until such time that they come to the table and deal with the original owners," said Terry Nelson, a former chief of the Roseau River First Nation in southern Manitoba."
Hangtown Fry a hit!
H came home at four, starving, figuring she'd have a snack before dinner. But I had everything ready to go: chopped spinach and scallions, diced mushrooms, crumbled bacon, beaten eggs, small oysters ... I just had to throw it all together. So we had an early dinner ... and it was DELICIOUS! Hangtown Fry isn't something we have often but, man, it's a great change of pace on a chilly wintry night.
Very pleased with my work on the novel today. Tomorrow an easy class session, show them the doc Tales from the Script, and collect their story ideas to evaluate.
Onward.
Very pleased with my work on the novel today. Tomorrow an easy class session, show them the doc Tales from the Script, and collect their story ideas to evaluate.
Onward.
Rick Perry Falsely Claims An Assault Rifle Ban Is Unconstitutional | ThinkProgress
Rick Perry Falsely Claims An Assault Rifle Ban Is Unconstitutional | ThinkProgress:
"Perry, of course, is wrong about what the Second Amendment permits. Indeed, even conservative Justice Antonin Scalia conceded in his opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller that “dangerous and unusual weapons” of the sort not “in common use” by the public can be regulated or banned."
"Perry, of course, is wrong about what the Second Amendment permits. Indeed, even conservative Justice Antonin Scalia conceded in his opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller that “dangerous and unusual weapons” of the sort not “in common use” by the public can be regulated or banned."
Quotation of the day
If you're not laughing you are crying.
Terry Simons at his blog. (Who will laugh when he sees this.)
And you thought denying the moon landing was nuts ...
Anderson Cooper Rips James Tracey For Newtown Conspiracy Theories (VIDEO):
Says Sandy Hook never happened, is a govt and media conspiracy to get gun control! And this nut is a tenured Florida professor. Great. Academia has bad enough a press without this.
Says Sandy Hook never happened, is a govt and media conspiracy to get gun control! And this nut is a tenured Florida professor. Great. Academia has bad enough a press without this.
The Reluctant Suicide
Good morning of work on this. Timely because an energy drain followed.
Hangtown Fry for dinner!
Damn my idea of a Teach In on national TV on Second Amendment is a good one. And also laughable and impossible. Our culture thrives on energetic ignorance. Knowledge is elitist. Worse now than at any time in my years.
Hangtown Fry for dinner!
Damn my idea of a Teach In on national TV on Second Amendment is a good one. And also laughable and impossible. Our culture thrives on energetic ignorance. Knowledge is elitist. Worse now than at any time in my years.
Chip Kelly signs with Eagles
That clever coach. Play hard to get and get what you want. Give youjr players relief and then blindside them. Another greedy asshole in a nation filled with them. It's the way he did it.
Obama Gun Control Proposals Unveiled, Marking Biggest Legislative Effort In A Generation
Obama Gun Control Proposals Unveiled, Marking Biggest Legislative Effort In A Generation:
"WASHINGTON -- In a bold and potentially historic attempt to stem the increase in mass gun violence, President Barack Obama unveiled on Wednesday the most sweeping effort at gun control policy reform in a generation."
Now he's acting like a President! The NRA already has a new dirty personal ad against him. But the president has a lot of popular support on this. It will get very ugly and be very interesting.
"WASHINGTON -- In a bold and potentially historic attempt to stem the increase in mass gun violence, President Barack Obama unveiled on Wednesday the most sweeping effort at gun control policy reform in a generation."
Now he's acting like a President! The NRA already has a new dirty personal ad against him. But the president has a lot of popular support on this. It will get very ugly and be very interesting.
The genius of Jodie Foster's speech | Film | The Guardian
The genius of Jodie Foster's speech | Film | The Guardian:
A different view from Sullivan's noted earlier.
A different view from Sullivan's noted earlier.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Large pleasures from small deeds
As an old man I enjoy some things more than ever. Going from point A to point B, for example. The most ordinary activity ... going to the post office or market or Starbucks or library ... provides great pleasure in its opportunity for people watching or random inconsequential conversation or unexpected encounters or brooding or brooding leading to discovery ... just hanging out has become a great pleasure. We are a very funny and sad species. In the final analysis, the human condition is a dance on the cosmic vaudville circuit. Gotta dig it, man.
Social and non-social networking
I don't social network. Yes, I tried Facebook twice and Twitter once but left each after a few months. I did see value in them. At Facebook I connected with old friends I hadn't talked to in ages, which was cool. But in the end, I seemed to be duplicating my blogging more than anything else. And I didn't care what an old friend had for lunch, really.
Twitter was more interesting. My first experience was in reading tweets from Iranian students as the cops were beating them up. Powerful stuff! But when I went online myself, well, it all struck me as pretty trivial and uninteresting. I'm not that much of a news hound that I need to know something instantly.
Lately it occurred to me that I do other networking, of sorts, which has no social component at all -- but which is very important to me in many ways. Let's call it networking with dead, or personally unknown, writers.
The origin of this awareness goes back to 1959. In Berkeley QP and I were drinking beer, listening to Sinatra's album "Only the Lonely," and bullshitting. Suddenly QP announced, "All my best friends are writers -- and are dead!"
He nailed it. That's what a favorite author is, dead or alive, a best friend, someone whose mind operates on a similar wave length. Thus when I first encountered the fiction of Josephine Hart a few years ago, or the mind of Elena Ferrante right now, I am blown away by the realization that here is a soul mate, someone who speaks a language I deeply understand. True friends. True companions. And it all happens in the head.
I would not be who I am without my exposure to this network: Bertrand Russell, Tobias Dantzig, Denis de Rougemont, Norman O. Brown, Morris Berman; Wilder, Albee, Durrenmatt, Weiss, Churchhill; Dos Passos, Steinbeck, Connell, Cheever, Coover, Sorrentino, Cummings, Hart, Handke; and others, of course. My literary companions, who nourish me, from whom I learn, who keep me going. Non-social networking.
Twitter was more interesting. My first experience was in reading tweets from Iranian students as the cops were beating them up. Powerful stuff! But when I went online myself, well, it all struck me as pretty trivial and uninteresting. I'm not that much of a news hound that I need to know something instantly.
Lately it occurred to me that I do other networking, of sorts, which has no social component at all -- but which is very important to me in many ways. Let's call it networking with dead, or personally unknown, writers.
The origin of this awareness goes back to 1959. In Berkeley QP and I were drinking beer, listening to Sinatra's album "Only the Lonely," and bullshitting. Suddenly QP announced, "All my best friends are writers -- and are dead!"
He nailed it. That's what a favorite author is, dead or alive, a best friend, someone whose mind operates on a similar wave length. Thus when I first encountered the fiction of Josephine Hart a few years ago, or the mind of Elena Ferrante right now, I am blown away by the realization that here is a soul mate, someone who speaks a language I deeply understand. True friends. True companions. And it all happens in the head.
I would not be who I am without my exposure to this network: Bertrand Russell, Tobias Dantzig, Denis de Rougemont, Norman O. Brown, Morris Berman; Wilder, Albee, Durrenmatt, Weiss, Churchhill; Dos Passos, Steinbeck, Connell, Cheever, Coover, Sorrentino, Cummings, Hart, Handke; and others, of course. My literary companions, who nourish me, from whom I learn, who keep me going. Non-social networking.
Curious observation
The writing that has blown me away in recent years ... Josephine Hart, now Elena Ferrante ... was written by non-American women.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Lance Armstrong Confessed Doping During Oprah Interview: REPORT
Lance Armstrong Confessed Doping During Oprah Interview: REPORT:
I am not impressed. He let it be known he is doing this because he wants back into the sport. In my book he is still a scumbag. Banned for life is banned for life. No excuses. Let him make amends some other way.
I am not impressed. He let it be known he is doing this because he wants back into the sport. In my book he is still a scumbag. Banned for life is banned for life. No excuses. Let him make amends some other way.
Recent reading
Fragments: Elena Ferrante on Writing, Reading, and Anonymity
*
The Untold History of the United States
I've been unfamiliar with this Italian writer. She sounds like a soul sister. Need to read her fiction!
*
The Untold History of the United States
Tom Lehrer, America’s most brilliant political satirist, announced that Kissinger’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize made political satire obsolete and refused ever to perform again.
The two wars had been unmitigated disasters. Even Gates, on some level, acknowledged the indefensibility of ever again plunging the United States into the invasion of another country. In February 2011, he told West Point cadets, “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it.”
Military Suicides Reached Record High In 2012
Military Suicides Reached Record High In 2012:
Our failure to our vets is staggering -- and obscene. This is why having a draft is so important: what happens in the military then affects more citizens, who can respond accordingly. Now soldiers and wars are those strange things way off somewhere that don't affect the lives of most people. A draft would re-energize the peace movement, believe me! And it's the only thing that is fair. (A draft without deferments, that is.)
Our failure to our vets is staggering -- and obscene. This is why having a draft is so important: what happens in the military then affects more citizens, who can respond accordingly. Now soldiers and wars are those strange things way off somewhere that don't affect the lives of most people. A draft would re-energize the peace movement, believe me! And it's the only thing that is fair. (A draft without deferments, that is.)
Jodie Foster Stops Lying - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast
Jodie Foster Stops Lying - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast:
Sullivan, who is gay, isn't impressed with the way she handled this.
Sullivan, who is gay, isn't impressed with the way she handled this.
You don't see this very often
Over at Amazon, I'm doing some ebook promo by offering a book free for a day. At this hour -- and they change this every hour over there -- I have the #2 "free download" of bios of authors. Narrow category, even narrower stat, but hey, there are 100 on the list and I'm #2, which is different, even if, well, I admit it, pretty meaningless. We get our strokes where we can. I may check this in an hour to see if it is climbing, which it has been, or starts declining. Be nice to be first for an hour ha ha. Jeez, what crap the ego feeds on. But hey, I might have occasion to say, and truthfully, "Yeah, I was number one over at Amazon for a bit."
The Myth of Human Progress | Common Dreams
The Myth of Human Progress | Common Dreams: by Chris Hedges
"The human species, led by white Europeans and Euro-Americans, has been on a 500-year-long planetwide rampage of conquering, plundering, looting, exploiting and polluting the Earth—as well as killing the indigenous communities that stood in the way. But the game is up. "
CJ knows.
"The human species, led by white Europeans and Euro-Americans, has been on a 500-year-long planetwide rampage of conquering, plundering, looting, exploiting and polluting the Earth—as well as killing the indigenous communities that stood in the way. But the game is up. "
CJ knows.
Quotation of the day
Let it be known that only four members of the Alabama squad met academic standards high enough to enter the University of Notre Dame. --Robert Edwards
Golden Globes 2013: Jodie Foster speech moves, mystifies - latimes.com
Golden Globes 2013: Jodie Foster speech moves, mystifies - latimes.com:
"Jodie Foster's winding, emotional acceptance speech upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes was one of the show's standout moments. The six-and-a-half-minute oration, in which Foster addressed her sexuality, her privacy, her career and her family, seemed to draw a unanimous reaction at first: one of sheer surprise.
After the initial shock subsided, two big questions hung in the air. Had Foster come out as gay? And had she announced her retirement?"
My take: yes and no, in that order.
"Jodie Foster's winding, emotional acceptance speech upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes was one of the show's standout moments. The six-and-a-half-minute oration, in which Foster addressed her sexuality, her privacy, her career and her family, seemed to draw a unanimous reaction at first: one of sheer surprise.
After the initial shock subsided, two big questions hung in the air. Had Foster come out as gay? And had she announced her retirement?"
My take: yes and no, in that order.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Two for two
Agree with two best film winners tonight ... Argo and Les Miserables. Foreign press less interested in our Lincoln mythology.
Seattle Sunday
Seahawks in the playoffs is a pretty big deal in these parts. Had to check it out. First half blowout so I came downstairs and followed it now and again on Yahoo's play by play live blogging site. Still a blowout, upstairs listened on the radio ... and Seattle made a comeback! Caught 4th Q on TV, and with 30 sec they took a one point lead! Amazing comeback! Alas, Atlantic got into field goal range with two passes and won, 30-28. Like Denver, Seattle shot themselves in foot in first half, even letting a FG at end of first half go with time running out, plus two red zone visits with no pts. Denver and Seattle both could have won.
Les Miserables
But I was impressed by many things. The overall production especially. The performances and singing, top to bottom, even untrained singers like Crowe, whose performance I found as strong as anyone's. It worked. Hathaway's signature song is a knockout, should win the Oscar. It should win some tech categories, too, and I would have nominated it for editing and cinematography.
What didn't work for me is the script, the story. Too much indulgence in off-the-story-spine moments, releasing tension (the inn scene, for example). Some unnecessary repetition. And worse, the ensemble ending, totally unearned, a Hollywood political romance. The elements are here for a Hollywood masterpiece but the director didn't know when to say No!
That's my two bits, which is worth less than two bits ha ha. Golden Globes tonight! I usually enjoy them more than the Oscars.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Ravens Beat Broncos 38-35 In Double OT: Flacco, Jones, Tucker Lead Baltimore To AFC Title Game
Ravens Beat Broncos 38-35 In Double OT: Flacco, Jones, Tucker Lead Baltimore To AFC Title Game:
"The record will show Justin Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal 1:42 into the second overtime Saturday to give the Ravens a 38-35 victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The highlight? That would be Flacco's game-tying touchdown to Jones on third-and-3 from the 30 with 31 seconds left in regulation and no timeouts."
The Broncos beat themselves. With a 7 pt lead at the end of the first half, they missed a long field goal -- and the Ravens scored with another bomb before halftime, a ten point turnaround! It never should have gone into OT.
"The record will show Justin Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal 1:42 into the second overtime Saturday to give the Ravens a 38-35 victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The highlight? That would be Flacco's game-tying touchdown to Jones on third-and-3 from the 30 with 31 seconds left in regulation and no timeouts."
The Broncos beat themselves. With a 7 pt lead at the end of the first half, they missed a long field goal -- and the Ravens scored with another bomb before halftime, a ten point turnaround! It never should have gone into OT.
Audio books
When I first discovered audio books on the Kindle, I went a little crazy, listening to something every day, culminating with a forty-plus hour experience with David Drummond's brilliant reading of USA, the Dos Passos trilogy, our real Great American Novel. An exceptional experience as audience from which I had to recover.
Now I'm ready to listen again, and I have a line of books ready to go.
Now I'm ready to listen again, and I have a line of books ready to go.
Teach In!
Here's some big time wishful thinking ... Knowledge actually mattered in our culture ... so the President organized a national televised Teach In on the Second Amendment and its application today. What does it imply about the right to bear assault weapons? How far can laws go? What did the Founders intend? Let us replace our common Disney version of history with actual scholarship, on TV in view of the world. A National Teach In on an important matter. True instead of fake American Exceptionalism.
Fat chance but a nice dream that we might realize our potential.
Fat chance but a nice dream that we might realize our potential.
An Imaginary War, A Wikipedia Hoax | TechCrunch
An Imaginary War, A Wikipedia Hoax | TechCrunch:
"Wikipedia editors unearthed a clever hoax perpetrated on the web’s gullible netizens, sending the mighty “Bicholim Conflict” back to where it originated: non-existence. For five years, the imaginary year-long battle, from 1640 to 1641, between Portugal and the mighty Indian Maratha Empire, reigned as truth in the user-generated halls of Wikipedia’s archive. Despite the fact that the cited sources were as real as the conflict, it even achieved “Good Article” status for its thorough 4,500 word recounting of the major historical event. It is said that history was once written by the victors; now, history is also written by the bored."
Not the only one, I'm sure.
"Wikipedia editors unearthed a clever hoax perpetrated on the web’s gullible netizens, sending the mighty “Bicholim Conflict” back to where it originated: non-existence. For five years, the imaginary year-long battle, from 1640 to 1641, between Portugal and the mighty Indian Maratha Empire, reigned as truth in the user-generated halls of Wikipedia’s archive. Despite the fact that the cited sources were as real as the conflict, it even achieved “Good Article” status for its thorough 4,500 word recounting of the major historical event. It is said that history was once written by the victors; now, history is also written by the bored."
Not the only one, I'm sure.
Assassination Of JFK: Robert F. Kennedy's Children Speak About Incident In Dallas
Assassination Of JFK: Robert F. Kennedy's Children Speak About Incident In Dallas:
"DALLAS -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is convinced that a lone gunman wasn't solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and said his father believed the Warren Commission report was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship.""
Duh. The ORIGINAL medical evidence speaks for itself, and anyone who believes the sole gunman theory today buys into the operative conspiracy.
From Sodom, Gomorrah & Jones ...
"DALLAS -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is convinced that a lone gunman wasn't solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and said his father believed the Warren Commission report was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship.""
Duh. The ORIGINAL medical evidence speaks for itself, and anyone who believes the sole gunman theory today buys into the operative conspiracy.
From Sodom, Gomorrah & Jones ...
CJ's
Heavy Reading
- The two Dallas motorcycle officers riding to the left rear of the limousine, Bobby W. Hargis and B. J. Martin, were splattered by blood and brain matter.
- The head wound as seen by the Dallas doctors consisted of a large blasted-out area in the right rear of the skull. Both medical and nonmedical persons in Dallas gave consistent descriptions of this wound.
- Crossfire:
The Plot That Killed Kennedy by
Jim Marrs
CJ's Heavy Reading
- The point here is that the photographs of the brain in the National Archives show no damage to the cerebellum. The above testimonies, sworn under oath by experienced medical doctors who observed the head wound, clearly and unambiguously describe extruded and damaged cerebellar tissue. If their testimonies are correct, and there is no reason to believe they are not, then the photographs of the brain in the National Archives are not of Kennedy’s brain. They must therefore be the brain of someone other than Kennedy.
-
- Bloody Treason: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by Noel H. Twyman
CJ's Heavy Reading
- After the House Assassinations Committee concluded late in 1978 that the president "was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy," the New York Times initially buried the story -- "Experts Say That Second Gunman Almost Certainly Shot at Kennedy" -- on page 37, alongside the classified ads.
-
- On the Trail of the JFK Assassins by Dick Russell
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