Unca Harlan's Art Deco Dining Pavilion
It's OK We're Americans
At the core of the legal arguments were the views of Yoo, strongly backed by David Addington, Vice President Dick Cheney's legal counsel, that the president's wartime powers were essentially unlimited and included the authority to override laws passed by Congress, such as a statute banning the use of torture. Pressed on his views in an interview with OPR investigators, Yoo was asked:
"What about ordering a village of resistants to be massacred? ... Is that a power that the president could legally—"
"Yeah," Yoo replied, according to a partial transcript included in the report. "Although, let me say this: So, certainly, that would fall within the commander-in-chief's power over tactical decisions."
"To order a village of civilians to be exterminated?" the OPR investigator asked again.
"Sure," said Yoo.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/02/19/report-bush-lawyer-said-president-could-order-civilians-to-be-massacred.aspx
But the decision not to prosecute Yoo and Bybee won praise from Representative Lamar Smith, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.
"It is important that future government lawyers know that their efforts to protect Americans will not be criminalized by future administrations," Smith said. "They did their best to follow the law and provide intelligence officials with legal guidelines for the use of strong tactics to obtain actionable intelligence from terrorist suspects."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35487219/ns/politics-white_house/
David,
" just discovered that A BOY AND HIS DOG will be screened in Los Angeles on a double bill with Richard Lester's THE BED SITTING ROOM on Friday, March 12th at the former Silent Movie House on Fairfax, now called CineFamily (Cinefamily.org)as part of their Exploitation movie series. I love both films, and yes they're both post-apocalyptic, but they're so very different that I'm not sure they'll play well together. But heck, when will you see either one in 35mm on the big screen???"
Indeed. And if you've never been, it's a good excuse to check out Cinefamily. It's a great place, and great people, and the theater deserves your support (And I'd say that even if I wasn't going to be on the board of directors).
Dreams With Sharp Teeth
In case any of you have failed to pick up Dreams With Sharp Teeth on DVD as of yet, I just thought I'd pass along the information that DeepDiscountDVD is offering brand new copies for $12.13, postage included. I think that may be the best price I've seen thus far.
And a quick MadCon 2010 Update; the Guest Banquet is now 60% sold out. If you're thinking about it, don't wait too long. As always, any questions, feel free to email me directly.
Jon
Shutter Island's going to be a monster. Saw the preview and the visuals alone are amazing. It won't beat Avatar, but we are talking about apples compared to gourmet apple pie.
With real vanilla bean ice cream on top! Yum.
--------
I was watching a panel on Larry King. They were talking about the boogens evil big government, when Katrina Vanden Heuvel of the Nation mentioned that for conservatives to be taken seriously they have to ask for the abolishing of both Social Security and Medicare. SE Cupp, the latest right wing babe of the month mentioned the fact that the debate wasn't about being anti-government, but "Big Government." Ah, SE, put a cold compress on that pretty head, Medicare and Social Security are bigggggggggggggggggggg government. She won't touch the military budget, obviously, so what would she cut?
Foodstamps!! Welfare! Public Television funding, because you know the liberals hold the switch and conservatives are on the trap door. A few percent of the economy is big government. A hoot.
Lovelace And Babbage
I got a link from a friend of mine in another forum to this rather wonderful web comic. Steam punk comicry at its finest! Loads of in jokes for all the geeks out there, plus a nice little twisting of historic facts. Hope you enjoy it
http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/lovelace-and-babbage-vs-the-economy/
Just a thank you.
*** Jan *** I might have mentioned this last year, but if I didn't, THANK YOU for providing all of these links. I'm sure they help Harlan and Susan a lot and I'm damned sure they help me. I've alerted my comic shop for the SPIRIT run and recently printed a bunch of your links. The things I printed might stay up for years - but it's a cyber-law that if I don't print them they'll disappear tomorrow.
I used to do this sort of thing a lot about 5 years ago, but then I got lazy and started letting the Rabbit Hole and Doug Lane do the heavy lifting for me. And I remember it for the job-of-work that it was.
So, again, THANK YOU.
- Barney
A Boy And His Dog Screening
First, thanks to David Loftus for saying everything I would have said to the responses to my Big Government posting... I will leave all that behind.
I just discovered that A BOY AND HIS DOG will be screened in Los Angeles on a double bill with Richard Lester's THE BED SITTING ROOM on Friday, March 12th at the former Silent Movie House on Fairfax, now called CineFamily (Cinefamily.org)as part of their Exploitation movie series. I love both films, and yes they're both post-apocalyptic, but they're so very different that I'm not sure they'll play well together. But heck, when will you see either one in 35mm on the big screen???
With apologies...
Another letter by H. - www.lettersofnote.com/2010/02/dont-fck-with-quote.html - Fascinating website for people interested in personalities of past and present. If you go there make sure you have time.
Links
Harlan's Thank-you-note to The Online Photographer (mentioned before) http://tinyurl.com/ykmqayl
The perfect double bill: "Black Dynamite" and "Dick" (by Erik)
www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/the_perfect_double_bill/
HE has provided a blurb (unknown) for an upcoming book called REPUGLICANS by Pete von Sholly and Steve Tatham.
http://vonshollywood.blogspot.com/2010/02/waid-minute.html
From IGN (also see Rabbit Hole): THE SPIRIT #2 - On sale MAY 19 * 40 pg, FC, $3.99. "...And in the co-feature, THE SPIRIT: BLACK & WHITE, modern fiction master Harlan Ellison teams with the brilliant Kyle Baker (WEDNESDAY COMICS) to bring an adventure right to the Spirit’s backyard – Wildwood Cemetery!"
A HE letter about Kersh, dated Nov. 10, 1989.
www.lettersofnote.com/2010/02/i-cannot-conceal-my-annoyance.html
There's only one genius who ever hosted a tv anthology series:
Hitchcock!
The proof:
The other night, at the end of a "Hitchcock Presents" segment, he explained entirely straight-faced, much the way someone like Rod Serling would do a few years later, the deep, complex, provocative moral of the story we just saw - at fairly good length, I should add, and quite eloquently...
Only to pause for about two seconds, still deadpan, and finally say, "Of course none of us believe such nonsense".
NEVER...have I seen any host in tv history ever do THAT! It was priceless! PRICELESS!
Such is part of the trademark he brought to ALL his work! That's why he's the greatest!
Paul, I am so glad you are ok. And so glad you are back home here. I too missed you.
Steve, please tell Cris good luck and have fun. I am sure the gigs will be great.
Diane
Oops...
In my best A-TC fashion, I left out the most important part.
www.drabblecast.com
S.
The DrabbleCast
If you've not yet had the pleasure of listening to this 30 minute-ish weekly podcast, you are certainly missing out. Okay, okay, so I only became familiar with them after one of the producers said "Hey, this story would work on our show!" and we spit and shook hands to seal the deal, but having listened to the offerings currently available for download on their site (the downloads are free, but they do gladly accept donations as they do pay the writers and performers) you are really missing out.
As with any short story collection, there are some pieces that are more miss rather than hit, but there is talent and to spare every week. (Why the blazes they chose one of my pieces, I can't really say.) Stories by Jay Lake, Tim Pratt, S. Boyd Taylor (Teddy Bears and Tea Parties -- oh, sweet jeebus is this good), Michael Swanwick. You don't need an MP3 player to download the show, but listening to it on an iPod makes the daily chores all the more pleasant.
Check it out!
***
STEVE B.: Stay hydrated. And who's this Cris chick you keep pimping? The way you make her sound, she's the voice of angels. *checks my music collection* Um...okay...so I listen to her, too...
***
PAUL: Welcome back, hombre!
***
Brian Phillips is a neat guy no matter what the psychiatrist says.
shagin
The "Big Government" canard
Kate wrote:
:: what makes you think Big Government is on your side? Trust me, they ain't.
Misperception Number One. Big Government is not necessarily on my side; it's Big because it has a lot to do -- from running libraries and fire departments and environmental protection to regulating the lousy goods and foodstuffs that foreign countries try foist on us -- and a lot of it has nothing to do with me. It's busy helping other Americans or trying to stop bad things from happening to them.
:: The "Big Government" is made up of the same opportunistic self-seekers
:: that "Big Corporations" are made up of.
Misperception Number Two. Big Corporations tend to be headed by people who are looking to make a killing on the backs of other people, whether just their employees or their customers. For most Big Corporations, their only purpose is to grow, and many of them do that by ducking the laws that Big Government has passed and attempts to enforce to protect your hind end.
Do you think cars would have seat belts and harnesses or air bags if Big Government hadn't forced Big Corporations to install them? Do you think most of us would be working eight-hour days or less, with lunch breaks and other breaks, if unions hadn't fought for them in the courts and the legislatures, and Big Government hadn't come around and agreed with them? (My wife's parents were stuck on the assembly line at General Motors on the 1930s, and were not allowed to take pee breaks when they wanted them.) Do you think Toyota would have recalled its Camrys and Priuses this past month, or various meat companies would have called back the E. coli-infested beef that has circulated in recent years and killed a few people, if Big Government hadn't said there are certain things that you, Big Corporations, are not allowed to do?
Short answer in all cases = No.
Big Government has not killed nearly as many people in the course of doing its business as Big Corporations have, both in terms of their employees and their customers . . . except in wars, which almost invariably have the support of a majority of the Americans who are most likely to die in them. That's another big difference between Big Corporations and Big Government.
:: It strikes me as naive to think that people in government are any
:: better than those in corporations.
I haven't seen anyone say that here. Have you?
:: It's amusing to me that people believe that anyone in government has
:: your back. They don't exist to serve you.
"They" may not, as a group, exist to serve you, but government, by its definition and structure, is supposed to, and often does. Do you mean to tell me you don't know ANYONE who is a teacher, a policeman, a state legislator, a state university instructor, a librarian, a garbage collector, an Employment Department worker who sends out unemployment checks, a parks services employee, or a government forester?
Come around and have a brew - or a cup of tea - with my wife and me sometime. We are largely self-employed now, but each of us has been a government employee for time. I worked for a state university and called out cleaning crews and handed out keys to instructors and students -- which in theory at least was part of what helped them complete their education and get work in a field they desired to pursue.
My wife was even better: she was a manager in a teaching hospital/university research center and did away with her own department and her own position. Doesn't that sound like a public service -- one that is diametrically opposed to the straw-man portrait you have drawn of Big Government?
:: There might be a couple of honest people somewhere in government
:: ... who seek to serve the common good. I just haven't found them yet.
Since you don't seem to be cognizant of the many honest people all over government who have already made your life better than it would have been without them, I'd say you sound like a very unobservant, close-minded person.
Paul!
I'm so glad you posted and you are okay. I just saw your post and didn't want you to think I read it and ignored you. You were close enough to feel it--- that is too damn close! Hell-Mason was too close. It's just so sad! It's been so long since the tower that Austin seemed safe! Laid back, under the radar-- untouchable by something like this.
I am stunned and I am a hundred miles away. I can't imagine what you are feeling.
I'm sorry,
Cindy
I'll banish myself til Monday for the double post-- I just didn't want Paul to think I didn't care.
More Health Care Blah
I must say that it puzzles me as to why people are afraid of Goverment Healthcare.
First off, the AMA is a virtual monopoly who doesn't care about you, it makes it's policy decisions based on profit. Please check on the political affiliations of the people who run this massive thing to see who is getting paid off.
Does the government work for profit? It seems like it's policies are based on litigation and court rulings. It's not SUPPOSED to be above it's own laws. It just doles out what it does through taxes.
The rich see no problem in taxing those who have no money because drawing blood from a stone just keeps them richer and in power. And what is this power? The ability to kill someone in the night that doesn't agree with them? The ability to pay off the government? So, taxing the poor makes no sense to me. People who make more money should get taxed more than people who don't. And if this impinges on your lifestyle, well - tough. Deal with it. Be a real person and not someone who saves public face by donating to charity because it's no sweat off your back. The only other thing I can think of is that they have the power to go to the Rich-Man-Club and look smug. To look at others who may not have the same religious affiliations or financial independence and go "nyah nyah na nyah nyah"
So to say that a government run operation will ruin a private enterprise I guess we should feel sorry for those poor street corner lemonade stands known as UPS and Fed-Ex who have been driven into poverty by the USPS.
Since its reorganization into an independent organization, the USPS has become self-sufficient and has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s. The decline of mail volume due to increased usage of e-mail has forced the postal service to look to other sources of revenue while cutting costs to maintain this financial balance.
The idea is that even if you don't agree with the party in power, you try to do what you can do and do your best to SERVE THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT, not shortchange them by constipating the works by stuffing socks full of "No!" down the commode like a bunch of children. And if you say "well that's just politics" well then that's just idiotic! There's no reason to HAVE politics then, it is a useless thing unless everyone comes together and works with what they have. At this point, the naysayers, who are mostly but not all made up of the G.O.P., are simply making things come to a stop and then blaming it on the current administration - AND PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO SEE THIS!!! It is insane to me! Scarah Palin uses her own disabled child as a scapegoat to attack the democratic party and this is supposed to be the moral party of the religious right? Is your faith so weak that you think supporting Obama's plans are going to turn this world into some kind of Planet-Orgy where all the poor immigrants are going to spread immoral behaviour to your children?
Harlan emphasises "In these UNITED States" in his reading about his march in Alabama from DWST. Have conservative minds become so rigid with conceptual sclerosis that they can't see they are not doing the country any service? Things will only become better for us all if we put aside our differences and make a giant concerted effort TOGETHER!!!
There are NO death camps. There is NO government takeover of the private healthcare industry. Grow. Up.
Anything that needs to be changed can be changed. This is why we have what is called M-E-E-T-I-N-G-S. Simply make a change to the bill that makes it illegal to lower prices beyond the point that would run private healthcare out of business and also make them too high so that everyone couldn't afford it.
This political cartoon says it perfectly - Obama is on a screen saying "I'm sorry, but I have been unable to deflect the massive meteor headed for Earth - prepare to be vapourised". A person watching - not immune to vapourisation himself and wearing a shirt that says "right winger" - celebrates saying "Yay, another failure!"
It is no wonder congressmen are quitting - who wants to play with a bunch of whacko kids who's motivations are centered around their own agenda and not the good of the people?
To Paul, from Austin, TX
Well said.
Thank you.
Steve Barber,
I hope you feel better soon. Banishment is lonely especially when you don't feel well.
Take good care,
Cindy
We're fine.
At ten o'clock this morning, a man crashed a small plane into a building a mile from my work.
Just beyond the Radisson hotel and past the double corporate skyscrapers on the other side of the freeway, across the street from a shopping center and restaurant Kathy and I frequent, a man who was so fed up with his lot in life decided to kill himself and take the perceived injustors with him.
About five minutes to open, we heard something, inside the building. We felt something, a wobble, a movement we couldn't see. Something weird, different; as in, we looked at each other and said, "The hell was that?".
We opened the doors at ten a.m. and saw smoke across the overpass ramp, behind the clump of offices, we could see an ugly plume of black smoke rising. The LOST critter doesn't look scary. This sumbitch was SCARY. This was a bad scene. Someone said, "I don't know if it's a building or a car, but something's on fire."
The news slowly came to us throughout the day. The plane. The IRS rant. The burned-down house. The building he crashed into housed not only IRS offices, but others as well. He cared nought for anyone else.
As it stands, there is one person missing, possibly dead, thirteen people who've been taken to the hospital with burns and/or injuries, at least two of them in critical condition. As yet, he took no other life with him. I cannot tell you how insanely happy that makes me. Not even that people weren't hurt, though that's a plus, but I am complacent with the fact that an unthinking, unfeeling, uncaring, narrow-minded soul (whose disgust with red-tape I can only barely, remotely, feel sorry for), who wished harm on others entrenched in the bureaucracy and the SYSTEM, caused no death for any but himself, and helped an insured business get the next level of upgrades. There may eventually be a death, but nowhere near the tragedy this man hoped to cause. This is a good thing.
No one at work laughed at anyone who answered our pleasant 'How are you?' with "I'm alive!"
Point taken.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I haven't been here in a while, and I don't know why I wanted to pop in again just this second. I cut all computer communication since the second week of December, and I've been procrastinating everything in my life life for the last two months. A creeping malaise, I guess. I've missed youse guys. It's been a very odd bit of time, and this is a helluva way to come back to the board. I'll have to catch up on things since December, I just wanted to say hi again and come back out of the shell, say hello.
Don't judge us by our whackos. A bunch of us are really nice here. John Prine is playing here next week; we can't be all bad.
Hello again.
Big Government Versus Big Corporations
Kinda reads like Godzilla Versus Barugon, doesn't it? (Tip of the hat to Dennis)
Checks and balances. That's the only protection we have from those in power. And, we need protection from those in power. Badly. Power is our number one weakness. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, it is one of the Devil's pet baits.
But we need those checks and balances in both the public and private sectors. I've seen how even a little power can lead to beastly behavior, especially in an at-will employment state like Colorado. Employers can do pretty much what they want with or to their employees out here. I've seen some pretty sick games played by some of my employers.
So, let the grudge match between the two monsters begin. Just don't forget that they are both monsters of our own making. Necessary monsters perhaps, but still...
Chuck
Movies -- and unnamed wingnuts
FRANK & ADAM-TROY: "Shutter Island" (saw it last night) _is_ a terrific piece of homage. And DiCaprio is great, as always -- maybe one of his best performances. But the "unexpected" twist (or ending) some have been hyping didn't seem all that unexpected. At least not from my seat (nope, didn't read the book). Not five star material, but still: a fun time at the movies.
MR. RIGHTWING: I think most people here understand that even some folks/organizations who lean left in their politics are capable of being bias. No secret, that. But using the "Atlanta Progressive News" as the penultimate (or, perhaps, ultimate) example seems kinda desperate. Especially when seated on the side of the spectrum that often holds figures like Reagan, Nixon, Cheney, "Dubya" and Ollie North as paragons of principle and honesty. Oy (or Oi).
Cheers,
DTS
Quote: I'll take Big Government over Big Corporations any day. It's like those Godzilla movies -- ya gotta wake up Godzilla to fight the big monster because it's the only thing big enough to do the job.
Okay, but what makes you think Big Government is on your side? Trust me, they ain't. The "Big Government" is made up of the same opportunistic self-seekers that "Big Corporations" are made up of.
I.E. -- People.
It strikes me as naive to think that people in government are any better than those in corporations. It's amusing to me that people believe that anyone in government has your back. They don't exist to serve you.
You exist to serve them. The only thing Big Government is good at is growing itself at your expense.
There might be a couple of honest people somewhere in government... who seek to serve the common good. I just haven't found them yet.
Healthcare
I've tried not to wade into the debate, even though I feel strongly about it -- but I just don't think I'll change anyone's mind.
Still: this fear of Big Government is insane.
My buddy is a veteran. His health care is run by Big Government. He loves it.
My mother gets Medicare. It's run by Big Government. She loves it.
So government can't run a health care program? Government-run health care is something to fear? Why?
Big Government is a phrase put out there by certain factions to strike fear in the hearts of people.
I'll take Big Government over Big Corporations any day. It's like those Godzilla movies -- ya gotta wake up Godzilla to fight the big monster because it's the only thing big enough to do the job.
So only Big Government can fight the Big Insurance Companies, etc.
The Big Government fear campaign is based on a lie.
My two cents. Thanks all.
More fresh air!
So a news organization recently fired a reporter for being too "objective".
Must have been Fox News, right?
Hmm. Let's see:
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2010/02/15/atlanta-progressive-news-fires-reporter-for-trying-to-be-objective/
"At a very fundamental, core level, Springston did not share our vision for a news publication with a progressive perspective. He held on to the notion that there was an objective reality that could be reported objectively, despite the fact that that was not our editorial policy at Atlanta Progressive News. It just wasn’t the right fit."
-Editor Matthew Cardinale of ATLANTA PROGRESSIVE NEWS, in a press release commenting on the firing of ATLANTA PROGRESSIVE NEWS reporter Jonathan Springston.
Is their masthead motto "Less Truth, More Progress!"?
Liars, damn liars, and Progressives.
Kathryn Grayson, RIP
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123854869&ft=1&f=1045
Damn. I loved her in Kiss Me, Kate.
I should probably post this over on the other board...
So, Ray Carlson:
If you were in the Arab delegation going to Israel to debate the sectioning up of Jerusalem, do you think you would get very far by referring to every Jew in the Israel delegation as a Dirty Jew?
Ray al-Carlson: "Greetings Dirty Jew."
Jewish Delegate #1: "What did you call me?"
Ray al-Carlson: "You must need a Q-Tip for your dirty jew ear, hahahah!" (The rest of the Arab delegation laughs).
Jewish Delegate #2: "Clearly you are not interested in having a discussion. Good day."
That's what conservatives and Libertarians and Republicans are doing when they start flinging around emotional and intellectually vapid words like Obamacare, socialism, big government, to try to shape the conversation. It does not address any real issues or concerns, it does not advance the dialog, and it certainly does not reflect thought.
It's like when a white person calls a black person a nigger. The white person knows this is a hot button word, and will elicit an emotional response. It is meant to end a debate before one even begins. Thank god that Martin Luther King Jr. had the discipline to fight the good fight, a good speaking voice and a non-violent message.
In this healthcare/health insurance debate, we liberals keep coming to the table with our concerns, and our ideas, and our good intentions, and we hear nothing but Obamacare, socialism, and big government in response.
Again, I ask you: where was this concern about money when Bush was mounting a multi-year, trillion dollar war? Also, the Bush administration started the bailout of the banks. Now, all of a sudden, conservatives are saying stop the spending? And they are also saying that we need to lower taxes again.
Ray, can you tell me, seriously, what you think we should do about the debt? I'll ask you a straight on direct question: do you think we need to raise taxes to pay for the war? And tell me what you think we should do about health insurance companies, which, in my opinion, do not add anything positive to health-care, and in fact skim money (30%) from each paid claim?
Cindy, thank you for your thoughts on this issue the other day. Some of what you said that I took issue with has been mentioned by others up to now. For what it's worth, I do believe that jury awards to malpractice victims should not exceed the limits of common sense. I'm not sure how we can come to an agreement on what those limits should be, or if they should be on a case by case basis, but I agree that awarding $100 million to a victim, in most cases, would be absurd. However, I could see cases where I might agree with it...for example, if the doctor had been allowed to practice even after it was demonstrated that the doctor was incompetent, and had not been removed from practice, and had, in fact, made the same mistakes again and again. And even then, the victim must have had some major trauma or suffering for an award of that size. Perhaps damages could be assessed by a body composed of clerics, scientists, and actuarians? Not sure.
-Keith
Thanks Josh -- Nice to get news from the source, and all that.
_________________________
Cris Barber. Tomorrow night. Coach House, San Juan Capistrano.
Oh, yeah. And some guy named Stanley Clarke.
Have I mentioned this?
(BTW - HARLAN: Cris got and opened the package yesterday. Loved the CD! I expect it had been here a couple days, but she's been distracted by the weekend's gigs and my own Typhoid Steve-isms.)
(Stay tuned, I'm sure she'll want to say more.)
___________________________________
Cris also playing at the Long Beach Mardi Gras Fest tomorrow 1-3, and then later at the Jazz Angels' "Boplicity" Fundraiser along with other guests including Helen Borgers, Buddy Collette and Charlie Peterson.
Our weekend with the "Classic Jazz" Crowd.
Not pimping any of the above, just damned proud of my little brunette chicksinger.
They're...
in their thirties.
Shutter Island
An homage to the work of Mr. Val Lewton and it only cost $65 million? Is that all?
Scorcese has indeed lost his mind.
I'll stick to the the real deal and watch Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie back to back. They have actors that LOOK like their in their thirties.
So fucking disappointing.
The Hollywood Answer Man
I guess I’m the Mr. Answer Man for Hollywood today...
Frank,
“Odd that Shutter Island was delayed. That usually means the movie has problems, but from what I hear it is really good”
The truth is, it’s extremely expensive to promote a movie these days, and Paramount’s budget last year ended up being too strained to give the film the push they felt it deserved. Dennis himself told me the movie’s incredible, and he’s pretty damn tough on films made from his work. I'm seeing it tomorrow. Can't wait!
Joe,
“So I read this morning that Walter Kirn, who wrote the novel "Up in the Air," has not been invited to the Oscar ceremony where the film version has six nominations.
Yeah, no reason to invite the guy without whom you'd have nothing to film.”
Well, yeah... except it’s not the Academy who made the movie, and they’re the ones who send out the invites, not the producers of the movie. Every year, you read about someone not getting invited to the show, and it’s painted as some sort of snub. It’s not.
There’s pretty much only two ways to get invited to the Oscars - get nominated, or be a presenter. Kirn doesn’t fit either bill. Once those seats are filled, the Academy releases tickets, and gives nominees first shot at them. If the producers of the film don’t get Kirn tickets - which I have no doubt they will - then there will be cause for complaint. But right now, it’s a manufactured tempest in a tea pot.
Ben
Re: The American Pie re-boot.... Some things are so insane, there can be no answer.
The Hollywood Answer Man
I guess I’m the Mr. Answer Man for Hollywood today...
Frank,
“Odd that Shutter Island was delayed. That usually means the movie has problems, but from what I hear it is really good”
The truth is, it’s extremely expensive to promote a movie these days, and Paramount’s budget last year ended up being too strained to give the film the push they felt it deserved. Dennis himself told me the movie’s incredible, and he’s pretty damn tough on films made from his work. I'm seeing it tomorrow. Can't wait!
Joe,
“So I read this morning that Walter Kirn, who wrote the novel "Up in the Air," has not been invited to the Oscar ceremony where the film version has six nominations.
Yeah, no reason to invite the guy without whom you'd have nothing to film.”
Well, yeah... except it’s not the Academy who made the movie, and they’re the ones who send out the invites, not the producers of the movie. Every year, you read about someone not getting invited to the show, and it’s painted as some sort of snub. It’s not.
There’s pretty much only two ways to get invited to the Oscars - get nominated, or be a presenter. Kirn doesn’t fit either bill. Once those seats are filled, the Academy releases tickets, and gives nominees first shot at them. If the producers of the film don’t get Kirn tickets - which I have no doubt they will - then there will be cause for complaint. But right now, it’s a manufactured tempest in a tea pot.
Ben
Re: The American Pie re-boot.... Some things are so insane, there can be no answer.
Are we entering the darkest decade in cinematic history?
So it seems that Universal Studios is looking into rebooting the AMERICAN PIE franchise; a franchise that, for the record, is no more than ten years old, but enough to make it downright archaic by Tinseltown standards.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/02/american-pie-4-reboot-shannon-elizabeth.html
I'm sure someone who's working inside the industry would rationalize the endeavor, stating that in a time of economic recession, excessive reliance on pre-established properties is not only necessary, it's inevitable.
But right now my soul is filled with bile, and I wish I could vomit it all on the nearest cocksucker in a suit.
Odd that Shutter Island was delayed. That usually means the movie has problems, but from what I hear it is really good. Adam Troy Castro does have good taste. A movie with both Max Von Sydow and Ben Kingsley has to be great.
I don't get the love affair with DiCaprio, but he's at least watchable.
--------------
Now you have both Biden and John Kerry complimenting Sarah Palin. How is that going to help their party win?
--------------
Eighty percent of Americans, in a new poll are against the Supreme Court decision on message spending by corporations and Unions. Seventy Six percent of Republicans. Pretty amazing.
Islam is complex as is the American voter.
Gaaaah
The title of the book I recommended (elsewhere, where I did quote the title, but not here where I copied the post), was DARK PLACES, by Gillian Flynn.
Hi Harlan Susan and all. I am catching up. Sadly I cannot type a lick today either.
Cindy, thank you, my dear for your warm and kind words. You are a dear and kind person. I wish our healthcare system was in the hands of someone as warm and kind and smart as you. I still disagree, but I think we shall agree to disagree and each concede we each believe what we believe in good faith and trust. Love you.
Richard, I too love Mr. Scott-Heron's work that I've encountered so far. I am going to look for more to buy and if I can't find it in stores, I shall look for it in the Web. I think I may have miscatergorized him by saying he's rap, and inadvertantly turned some here off.(Rick and nobody yell at me. I like rap a lot. I think I just misspoke because I was quoting the Wic.) It seems you are more familiar with his work. How would you describe it?
Sara, I was so sorry to read of the loss of your dog. It always hurts, no matter what. We have a critters thread on the forums, where we gab about our animal babies all the time. Come on down when you're ready.
Gwyneth, I started praying for your uncle the moment you asked. All best thoughts to him and you and your mom and family. Keep me posted Luv you, Diane. I know I'm forgettin someone or something, but I'll be back.
Remembered before I posted. Barney, sorry for the loss of your books. And deeply empathetic about your friend. Best thoughts to him and you and his lady fair.
Invite the who now?
So I read this morning that Walter Kirn, who wrote the novel "Up in the Air," has not been invited to the Oscar ceremony where the film version has six nominations.
Yeah, no reason to invite the guy without whom you'd have nothing to film.
Pretzel Logic
Steve Evil,
Thank you for the tap dance.
Title?
Hey, Mr. Castro? "So dark it's practically ultraviolet, this thriller concerns Libby Day, 32-year-old woman still among the walking wounded 25 years after the massacre of her impoverished farm family when she was seven."
Does this dark, compelling thriller have a title?
Two Recommendations
Two recommendations.
*
So dark it's practically ultraviolet, this thriller concerns Libby Day, 32-year-old woman still among the walking wounded 25 years after the massacre of her impoverished farm family when she was seven. Libby's troubled older brother Ben has spent a quarter of a century in prison for the crime, sentenced there in part because of her confused (and heavily coached) testimony; she hasn't spoken to him since, and now lives an embittered, asocial, deeply depressed life off the proceeds of money collected for her after the tragedy. The only problem: there's only nine hundred dollars left, she has no marketable skills and no work history, and believes she can't face people well enough to hold down a McJob. With no other options, she agrees to help some deeply creepy crime buffs -- who have long maintained her brother's innocence -- turn over some old rocks, in exchange for cash. By the time she visits Ben in prison for the first time, and starts interviewing old witnesses herself, it becomes clear that hers was not the only innocent life ruined. Alternate chapters cover the events of the tragic day, leading inexorably to slaughter, while Libby, who says, "I have a meanness inside me," gradually comes to the conclusion that Ben might actually be innocent.
This is a black book. Libby is a liar, a pilferer, a drunk, a despiser of people; she's downright hateful, in fact, though there's a spark of something possibly better inside her, though it may be far too late for it to come out. The characterizations are all driven by similar dark clarity. Her estranged father Runner -- as pellucid a portrait of a loveless drunk as any you've ever read -- will stay with you for a long time; as will teenaged Ben, a kid burning with resentment of his lot, whose seen in the flashback chapters and whose actions earlier that day leave open the possibility that he might well become the multiple murderer who deserves to rot in prison. And young Ben has a girlfriend, Diondra, who is also every definition of "bad news." But there's also an indelible portrait of their doomed mother, Patty, a woman struggling to hold a failing family together; and then there's the adult Libby, who first undertakes the investigation as a cynical enterprise but by infinitesmal degrees gradually grows to believe in it, and to care. And the prose - wow. This is a persuasively written, passionate, razor-wound of a book, set in Kansas that is just dust, ruined lives, and old forgotten evils. A-TC sez check it out.
*
I saw SHUTTER ISLAND at a sneak preview Tuesday night. Dennis Lehane, who also wrote MYSTIC RIVER and GONE BABY GONE, continues to have phenomenal luck with the film adaptations of his novels; Martin Scorcese, not quite at the top of his form but still better than just about anybody making films on a regular basis, utterly nails this paranoid, terrifying, and psychologically hallucinogenic period piece about a troubled federal marshal (Leonardo DeCaprio), hunting the grounds of an isolated island mental hospital for a female patient who has unaccountably escaped. Complications, and intimations of vast medical and government conspiracies, ensue. Half the audience loved it; the other half complained in the survey that they jutht didn’t unnastan it, but trust me: the explanation, once provided, is 100% clear for anybody with two brain cells to run together. Also stars Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, and in a terrifying cameo, Patricia Clarkson.
Rabbit hole thanx
Susan,you are woman.Need I say more.
Obamacare
Could it be said that "Reaganomics" largely came into usage after the fact, to describe a phenomina which was already in place, while "Obamacare" is a widely used to deride a policy which hasn't even been put into place yet? And that "Reaganomics" is hardly a term of endearment?
Sophistry Ray. Sheer sophistry.
Lost another More-than-good Friend
This may be a couple years late for the ongoing topic of memorializations, yet there are few other outlets available for one such as I. Suffice to say, the recent Phil Spector case held a surprise for me Monday.
The Lana Clarkson of cultish movie note (note, Corman's "Barbarian Queen" I & II,) as it turns out, was the same Lana I knew in the Seventies while still a pre-pubescent in Sonoma County. I mean, who would have figured it? Somebody might have mentioned it to me, back around 1985 maybe, that my girlfriend was starting to show up in the Hollywood Pictures.
Where were we at, then, when something like this winds up happening after not seeing her for thirty years? We still hadn't officially "broken up" yet or anything...
ROGER EBERT
Harlan, don't have time to skim recent posts to see if anyone else alerted you to the thoughtful interview with Roger in the new Esquire.
Hugs!
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/roger-ebert-0310
Harlan, thanks for not jumping on me for going after Barney. An honest scrum, ya know.
Barney, be ok. Sorry about the books.
---------------
Just skimmed the Journey of the Jihadi book today. Looks like Al Qaida had about ten thousand fighters, while the main Jihadi movement has around one hundred thousand fighters. They published two papers, never translated, that outlined their disdain at the sept 11 attacks. That killing civilians is against Islamic law. They even say that the US helps Muslims more than they hurt, which I don't even believe. They are conflicted, especially since the Iraq war. Thankfully we may leave that shithole soon.
and now for something completely different
You have a chance to get a glimpse or three of me on "Leverage," the TNT comedy caper series, this evening.
Watch for a bearded and mustached illegal arms buyer in a black suit. He will possibly be among a small group of similar unsavories on the deck of the ship, probably down in the cargo hold examining grenades, semiautomatic weapons, and rocket launchers (since I turn up in the long teaser for the episode on the TNT Web site), and possibly even to one side as Christian Kane ("Eliot") brushes past on his way to a hatch way.
Unfortunately, I won't get to see it . . . I'm in rehearsals for a production of "King Lear" that opens next week. Can anybody out there tape it for me? (Or even better, make a digital copy?)
Tony Isabella's column
I usually lurk at the Pavilion, but I've decided to step out of the shadows because I just wanted to say, that's one hell of column, Mr Isabella. Good for you, sir! I think that noise I'm hearing is the sound of your hammer hitting the nails on the heads.
Ali MacGraw
A good article in Vanity Fair with Ali MacGraw
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/03/ali-macgraw-201003
Harlan's Pay The Writer video
The site comicbookresources.com (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24866) posted this news item:
You might have seen the "Pay the Writer" video on YouTube (warning: adult language) that's floated all over the place of Harlan Ellison ranting against those who steal creatives' works, or give no payment for it. Well, one photo blog recently embedded it in their blog, and then went ahead and sent Ellison a check for the right to embed the video. Harlan Ellison sent a personal thank-you note.
But Of Course, You Are Wrong ...
Politics. What say we switch to something less volatile, like, say, abortion? Gun control? Sex? War? Best beer?
I expect that most of us who are old enough to remember when 1984 was a novel set in the future have come to our positions on the fer-or-agin-no-fence-sittin' issues a while back. We made our ascents (or descents) to them and are ensconced there. When we talk about such things, we mostly preach to the choir; there's not much Some Fool on the other -- read: wrong -- side of the fence can say to shift our foundations.
While not all of us have arrived there the same way, I also expect that a few of us have listened to the arguments pro or con, examined the evidence, and decided. The more reasonable among us might be willing to have a come-to-Jesus moment if somebody brings something new to the table, but I suspect that most of us who are, say, anti-abortion or pro-choice, believe we have heard all the arguments that matter and aren't waiting for the Midnight Special to shine its epiphanal light upon us.
Smart is good, but smart is also bad -- if you are the smartest person in the room, you sometimes start to believe that makes what you think more important than what the less intellectually-gifted believe.
It doesn't. The footpads Hubris and Arrogance lurk in the shadows with their coshes to bludgeon you, and if you aren't wary, bash you they will.
Once you make your point and That Fool over there offers his -- or hers -- continuing on on with "Oh, yeah?!" more than another exchange or two is a waste of time and energy. Chances of you changing The Fool's mind, or him yours are slim and snowball. Pearls before swine and all.
You have to know that by now, right? And if you do, you aren't ranting to change his mind, or anybody else's, you are making sure everybody knows where you stand.
So we know. Move along. These *are* the droids you were looking for, but the Jedi Master has fucked with your mind and they are going to get away.
Perry
Mr Right, Mr Comfort, your meticulous logic and reasoning has cut through the liberal fog and I hereby metaphorically tear my cloak in twain and repent in sackcloth and ashes. How could I have been such a fool? Hornswaggled by Obama's bill of goods! Swallowing a pig in a poke! (Hey whatsa few mixed metaphors among birds of a feather?)
If a plumber in Pittsburgh with a heart condition like Dick Chaney wants the same level of care then by god let him become a millionaire like the rest of us!
Big government IS always bad! Cut my taxes now! The only legitimate function of taxes is paying cost overruns on major weapons systems that don't work and the only legitimate function of government is to spy on us to keep us safe. Anything more is socialism or worse, atheism.
I hereby resign from the herd and swear on the grave of Andrew Jackson that I will stand against the forces of arrogant liberalism, the pointy heads and the gun-grabbers.
Like Sarah says, "Be stupid! Be proud!" (Not that I would ever vote for her because the Lord frowns on that kind of thing dontcha know.)
Obamacare
Dear Steve (Barber),
Once upon a time there was a healthcare bill sponsored by and built under the auspices of a President named Obama. Through-out the land it was commonly referred to by the shorthand moniker Obamacare. My friend, to equate the use of the term Obamacare with “Obama is a Nazi” is patently and utterly absurd. And a long road to hoe in order to score debating points.
I have yet to hear anyone from the Obama camp object to the term. And why should they. After all, if the healthcare bill is as wonderful as they claim, why wouldn’t they want the President’s name attached, ie Reaganomics.
"Right"
Right.
(Apparently, you missed a point I've made repeatedly here: I don't give a damn about an anonymous troll's opinions. Simply no way to evaluate the legitimacy against a previous history. It displays a complete lack of conviction on your part. In fact, the only opinion I hold in lower regard than Glenn Beck's is that by an anonymous troll. Even though you ain't that anonymous.)
(Right, Doc?)
__________________________________
Day five of the Philadelphia Death Flu. Or a cold. I can't really tell through my misery. I sincerely hope I infect as many weatherpeople as possible in the process of recovery.
I have also been banished to the back bedroom, as Cris has threatened me I will not see my fiftieth birthday if she comes down with this thing prior to this weekend's marathon of gigs.
Mucinex is my friend.
___________________________________
Tony is being modest. Let me also promote his 1000 COMICS YOU MUST READ. It's breezy and fun, and covers a lot more ground than I expected (pun fully intended).
___________________________________
As Alejandro and other people have posted below, the Roger Ebert article in Esquire is a worthy read.
Heartbreaking and also invigorating in its profile of a man dealt some horrible, life altering blows but continues to trudge forward in spite of them. A sample (not given here, but available online) of Ebert's most recent columns will convince you of how much he still has to give to this world. The loss of his jaw has not silenced him in any way.
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/roger-ebert-0310
Barney, that's terrible. I'm glad you're getting over it fine. In the long run it will probably matter much less.
---
"Communism is an evil best destroyed..."
"We are generous people." (Tony I.)
New surprises every day.
Tony's Online Tips 2/17/10
I don't normally plug my work here, but I'm proud of this one.
Today in TONY'S ONLINE TIPS...
Enemies of the People. First a book review, then some harsh words.
You can read the column at:
http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/back20100217.shtml
Tony Isabella
* I * Me * Mine *
*** Harlan *** Yes. Yes, I am. It's been one of the more interesting 12 month periods of my life to be sure. Very two steps forward and two steps back. But the guy who stepped back is more than a little different. For the better - despite whatever my recent contrary surfacing here might indicate.
The domestic stuff can wait until I see you. Or, forever. The business stuff is just business. About the only I thing I would mention here is that last month I had a flood in two of my three storage lockers and lost a bottom layer. That's approx. 8,000 books. Out of 65,000. Ten years ago that would have messed me up pretty good. After watching what Effinger went through and what you went through with the the quake - well, I won't say it wasn't a blip on my radar because it was. But I was "over it" in about 48 hours. In a profoundly fucked up way I have guys like you and the wonderful (and missed) George Alec Effinger to thank for preparing me for these sucker punches life keeps throwing.
And... and... it's ** SO ** odd you would ask me this today... I think I might be a different person then I was 36 hours ago.
Having already been to two funerals this year I spent yesterday evening at a benefit for a friend who had to CANCEL his "surprise" February Chinese New Year WEDDING (where he was FINALLY going to make an "honest woman" out of Kathy after 29 years!!!) in "favor" of radiation treatment down in Philly for basically what Ebert went through in 2005 - with all of the same sorts of possibilities for a horrific back nine firmly in place. So, instead of a surprise wedding in the middle of a giant dinner party it was a down-on-his-knees proposal to Kathy in front of a theater of his friends in Kutztown, PA before a showing of THE BIG LEBOWSKI - which is an oddly appropriate black humor cinematic response to Really Really Bad News - where people have raffles to pay medical bills and wear wrist bracelets and make jokes that aren't really funny anymore under the NEW dire circumstances.
And then you ask me if I'm fine. Harlan, Hell YES, I Am Fine. NO complaints here. None What So Ever. And I am really GENUINELY HAPPY just to be able to answer the question.
And thank you for asking. Claps on the back to you - and a hug for your Electric Baby.
- Barney
Mr. Right aka Todd Palin?
Someone more learned than I would know for sure, but I do not think you can patent a phrase. Cute but lame display.
Also, as Sarah Palin has experienced, that much meth can cause acute paranoia and brain freeze.
And finally, you should go by your given name: Swinging Dick
Mr. 'Right':
"Then we have characters such as...Rob having no problem calling anyone to the right of Hilary Clinton (who Frank considers right wing!) to be either Misguided, or Wittingly Wrong, Just Too Effing Stupid...to ever get."
If ONLY you would prove me WRONG!
Otherwise, I'd only have the Ancient Astronauts to blame for placing the country where it is now - from mass de-regulation to the corrosive decisions by those conservative judges appointed to the Supreme Court.
You may have to deal with "characters" like myself, but look at what I'M stuck with!
**Steve Dooner,
Glad to see you're still around!
bARNEY: A PERSONAL NOTE
Having nothing to do with anything else:
Are you okay?
-he
Gimme A Break!
So Steve Barber cannot take an argument seriously from someone if they use a Silly Term (Pat. Pend.) like "ObamaCare. Oh, and along with the Rest Of The Herd here, Steve Barber tells us (gasp) that it is the Evil Right (Pat. Pend.) that has a Copyright on name calling and close minded behavior. The Angry Stupid Evil Right (Pat. Pend.), actually.
Can I have fried with that, Steve?
Let's see, where shall I start?
Hmmm, how about with this one?
Steve Barber pontificating that the Angry Stupid Evil Right (Pat. Pend.), defined by him as represented most especially by such as Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck and other pundits that speak out against the Health Reform Bills, are guilty of treason against the common welfare.
Interesting phrasing there, Not really full blown treason is on the Charge Sheet offered up by Steve Barbers Original One Man Grand Jury. Presumably to not modify Treason with some weasel words would be Hate Speech which Steve Barber, ever The Good Moderate (Pat. Pend,) would never indulge in. No, not Real Treason. No, rather, these wretches, according to Steve "The Good Moderate" Barber merely desire everyone to fail miserably in every way possible in their miserable and presumably short lives.
Oh, that's okay. That's just an opinion,. It's not a Silly Term.
That it is a Silly Opinion, phrased in a monumentally thick-headed and ponderous fashion worthy of the Profoundest Sort Of Muddled Thinking may be, but since it's not formed into a catchphrase that gores a Favorite Ox, Hey Presto, Everything Old Is New Again and it's OK.
Right.
Give me a break.
Then we have characters such as Frank Church and Rob having no problem calling anyone to the right of Hilary Clinton (who Frank considers right wing!) to be either Misguided, or Wittingly Wrong, or lacking the character to actually wake up and Smell The Coffee Of Real Troth as defined by Frank Church and/or Rob, OR Just Too Effing Stupid and Lazy as to ever get a clue and get it right.
But of course, those are Just Opinions. Those are not attempts at poisoning the Well of Discourse.
That's not attacking the motives of the speaker without first answering the speakers argument, is it? That's not Dodging The Question and indulging in Ad Hominem bullshit, is it?
Really?
And so we are supposed to disregard the arguments of those we disagree with, simply because they Use A Silly Term we don't like?
Right.
Give me a break.
This insular and cramped little hothouse of ideological flatulence badly needs a window smashed open so you can smell the air of Reality.
It reminds of nothing so much as Susan Sontag wondering how McGovern could have lost the 1972 election. After all, no one, absolutely no one SHE KNEW had voted for He Whose Name May Not Be Uttered Here.
And she was serious in her befuddlement.
Sometimes it takes a Really Smart Person to be a Truly, Awe Inspiringly Dumb Ass.
It's your turn in the barrel Steve Barber.
Fret not overmuch , Steve . There's a long line of others ready to take your place. They’re champing at the bit to post how Silly I am.
Have at it. Let the Hot House Monkeys screech at me.
I consider it an honor.
2 THINGS
1. Yeah, I'm still here. Perhaps a skosch "lurkier" at the moment, work and other stuff, the simple answer. But, noneheless, a definite "still here."
2. Graham Rae reply. Jim Ballard was a top guy, a writer of panoramic insight and excellence, and a critical taste to match his level of craft expertise. We knew each other for decades (introduced by Moorcock when I was in the UK), and he wrote for DV, of course. But across the gap of an entire Ocean, and two Continents, we wound up seeing each other, during those many decades, in Paris, Scotland, Rio, New York, and other of what Ibert called "L'escale," ports'o'call, far and odd and exotic.
So there isn't really a lot for me to say, save I admired him greatly, and he always (as I perceived it) treated me well, with a sly smile, and a mordant wit. Nowhere near the sort of acerbic literary scouring most of the Brit writers of sf stature visited on each other. They made US writers of fulmination and fire seem like poseurs out of a Harry Potter novel. They were always W A Y meaner than their American counterparts, and though I have my less-than-favorite UK writers (on a personal, never a writing, level) -- well, Jim was never one of those. I liked him a lot, and think it was mutual.
But, honestly, Graham, aside from the above, nothing immediately comes to mind about trail-crossings with Jim...except, of course, the elevator story. But I'm sure you know that one. He put it in one of his books. Made me smile. A true recounting of a brief liaison between-floors.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Frank: As you are a "smart" man, learn the difference between the words "cite" and "site."
To All: I cannot believe the protracted nature of this entire discussion. "Jihad" means "struggle" and "holy war." It can be used positively or negatively. Words have connotations, denotations and different senses when used for political purposes.
May the ghost of Wittgenstein haunt all of you until you quit this.
and . . . YAWN!
New address for HERC membership
SUSAN --
I have a new address, and also a new/old name.
Steve Olle*
1504 Ballard St.
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Membership # M1359
*Dropping the "Pyskoty-" and returning to my "maiden" name, post-divorce.
Hella props to Keith Cramer for letting me crash at his swingin' bachelor pad for a few weeks so I could get shit happenin' in my new locale.
Next on the list: Landing a copy editing job.
Dear Susan Ellison,
RABBIT HOLE is worth every paper cut it has ever given me.
That is all.
I didn't site a source because I didn't think I had to. Jihad is in the dictionary. It says struggle. On Gerges, it's obvious I would use a book written after sept 11, since this was the period that book was most needed.
Barney mentioned that ALL Muslims who use the term Jihad want to put heads on sticks. No source from him as well. I can name a thousand people who disagree with this. I can say that all Christians secretly want to kill Abortion doctors, but that would be shot down rather easily.
Bombing other countries, taking over their economy is how you turn the good Jihadis into the bad ones. My only point.
I'd prefer Jihadis of all stripes didn't exist, but I also might like cake and ice cream every night.
Reality is my bitch.
-----------
Jan, you got me. I actually mean intellectuals--elite intellectuals.
Smart is good. I like smart.
A word about the length of the healthcare bill
I'm delurking here to point out that the reported 2000+ page length of the healthcare bill is misleading. Please take a look at http://computationallegalstudies.com/tag/congress/ for a description of the typesetting practices used by the Congress. This includes large font sizes, extra large margins, and extraneous white space throughout. To see what the bill actually looks like in print, go to http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3962pcs.txt.pdf.
If it was printed in standard book form, the bill would likely come out to be several hundred pages instead of several thousand.
Dan
Mr. Carlson, thanks anyway, but I have no wish to continue this debate with you as I am pretty sure it would not yield anything of value to either of us
Saw this on a website I frequent, that Roland Emmerich wants to helm a film adaptation of Isaac Aasmimov's Foundation (actually he sees it as a trilogy). Yes, the man who brought is 2012 and 10,000 BC wants to take one of the most intellectual and influential pieces of science fiction literature and turn it into a 3 picture 3-D bonanza. Anybody else have a bad feeling about this (Foundation news about halfway down the article):
http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/130029/The-Hush-Hush-News-Report-2.16.10:-How-Not-to-Make-a-Werewolf-Movie.htm
Ray - You make a couple of good points, as Cindy did, but can I ask you a favor?
I simply can't get past your use of the derisive and partisan "Obamacare" -- which is strictly a far right wing label meant to dismiss both the program and the President in one swoop. Unless you genuinely think Limbaugh and Beck are brilliant sociologists, I fail to understand why you are reduced to repeating partisan and jingoistic labels.
This is a huge issue I have with the current debate: too many people get one or two "catch phrases" which are disrespectful and cutesy, and then giggles themselves into a stupor every time they use them.
And why does the right feel the need to insult and belittle versus engage in actual political debate? "Obamacare", "Obama is a Nazi", "He wasn't Born Here", etc???
In this case, it also betrays your lack of understanding of the core issue, and how it's being approached by Congress and the Executive Branch. I wish it WAS "Obamacare", because it would likely be far less of a camel that it was allowed to become. Call it Reidcare, or Pelosicare if you truly can't stop yourself from being cutesy, but Obamacare is so fully incorrect and politically dismissive that it stops me from paying even a moment's attention to anything you might say afterward.
(BTW - IMHO: Cutesy Insults are no way to conduct a decent debate. I might even label these sort of comments "Palinesque" -- meaning insubstantial and jingoistic -- but that would be hypocritical.)
(Now wouldn't it?)
Cindy put up a post some five times the length of yours, and didn't use a single epithet. She argued points and made real suggestions. She engaged instead of insulted. So it can be done.
I would love a real, true and reasoned debate from both sides. Too bad those voices are being silenced in favor of demonization and ridicule.
I may move to Canada. It might be just as bad, but at least they can say they're trying to make it better.
Cindy,
Many thanks for your excellent overview of the Obamacare boondoggle. The only comment I would differ with, ever so slightly, is this one: “Our government is no different than the insurance companies--when it comes to healthcare it’s about the bottom line.” I maintain the government would be much worse. At least with insurance companies if you don’t like one you can take your biz to another. When the government rules against your claim you will have nowhere else to go. Folks need only look to the example of government run healthcare in Massachusetts where costs have skyrocketed and the level of care has declined and the overwhelming majority of people hate it.
Bottom-Line: Obamacare is NOT about improving healthcare, since there are less costly, more efficient, common sense ways to improve the healthcare system. One has only to look at the ideas put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. (http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/) No, Obamacare is about power and control. Think about the number of ways government will be able to mandate almost every area of how one lives their life if government is the sole provider of healthcare.
Roger in Esquire
Wanted to share this beautiful profile of Ebert written by Chris Jones for Esquire Magazine:
http://www.esquire.com/print-this/roger-ebert-0310
"Let me be your song"
The best thing about Fraggle Rock was the music. Listen closely to the lyrics, and you will find genuine poetry and wisdom, lightyears ahead of most kids' programing.
My favorite is "Just a Dream Away", as beautiful an acceptance of mortality as any I've encountered. The Minstrels' "Meddley" also stands up.
Henson was a magician.
Boy for sale! BOY for s-a-a-a-le!
But the train's are running on time!
Aren't they?
No not yet
Are we having fun yet?
Reconfirming, After 27 Years, I Married the Right Person
Been a while since I’ve posted, but wanted to share with you the trip my wife and I just took to celebrate Valentine’s day.
Saturday – flew to Burbank. Pastrami sandwich lunch at The Hat in Simi (she had never been). A trip to the Reagan library (morbid curiosity quenched). A quick drink at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood (she had never been). Dinner at The Good Earth in Studio City (they used to have these in Phoenix, and we miss them greatly – particularly the spiced tea and poppy seed dressing.)
Sunday – all day riding roller coasters at Magic Mountain. Dinner at Fins Creekside in Calabasas
Today – drive around the Santa Monica Mountains, then lunch at Pink’s. Fly back to Phoenix
27 years and still counting.
Mike
More Auctions
Hopefully this won't be an unwelcome post given Our Host's generosity a few months ago. Just to let people know that I've started running some more Ebay auctions to benefit Jeanne Robinson (wife and co-author of Spider Robinson) in her battle against biliary cancer. The Main Feature this time is a complete (so far) 12-book North Atlantic hardcover set of the short fiction of Theodore Sturgeon. The set up for auction are Spider's own greatly loved and gently used set of books (He's got replacements, don't worry).
Also of possible interest to folks here is a copy of "The Glass Teat" which I purchased from Susan and got autographed by Harlan at the WorldCon in Anaheim a few years ago. Anybody interested should check out:
http://shop.ebay.com/dreamforjeanneauctions/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
Many thanks!
Jan S.
PS: Goodthoughts sent your way, Sandra!
Sandra: Best of luck and strength for whatever change in life you're facing. I hope it's a change for the better.
Sara: It's always painful to lose a pet. They're a buddy, a family member. They don't care if you screw up of succeed. All they care about is your presence and care. That's it.
I loved Fraggle Rock back when I had HBO. I especially loved the letters from Uncle Travelling Mat in his travels through "outer space". We are indeed Silly Creatures.
Chuck
I loved Fraggle Rock. Jessie and I watched it a lot. A LOT. You know that tendency young children have to watch the same thing over and over and over and over and - well, you know. Never got old, though (unlike, say, Gummi Bears) (bouncin' here and there and everywhere...).
Steve Barber, I am so, so sorry I didn't see your "stuck in Philly" post until after you'd left. I actually had an extra ticket to the Philadelphia Orchestra's Friday afternoon concert and would have loved to have you join us.
We lost our old dog today. She was a few months past 18, had stopped eating and it was time, so my husband took her down to the vet. Tonight I wonder if it's worth it, having pets. Tomorrow I know I'll feel differently.
As for the Jihad argument: this component sayeth nuttin'.
Harlan, I hope you are well. I could use a few encouraging words right about now.
New 'Rabbit Hole' subscription
Belated thanks from a 'Rabbit Hole' initiate and partic. for the intriguing miscellany of incidentals-e.g.I never thought that I would ever consider substituting (even temporarily) my bespoke 'Amazing Spider-Man' # 4 mousepad but subversive thoughts have already been planted....anyway, time management skills need to be honed to enable enjoyment of the various diversions a.s.a.p. Expansive acknowledgements also to Tom Morgan-the conduit for guaranteed and imminent well-being.
"Being smart has nothing to do with anything. Smart people can also be wrong."
That's right Frank. But here's the thing, we are wrong a lot less often that our less smart neighbors.
We know how to look at data and make sure it actually supports what we are saying. And we are also more likely to admit that we don't know a damned thing about a subject as well.
And the most important thing IMO, is that we actually LISTEN to the other side before even attempting to argue with them.
Just my two cents, take it for what it's worth
Once again I interrupt this burgeoning Superbowl pile-on to convey my best wishes to Sandra for a positive life changing event today, whatever it is.
__________________________________
I have to weigh in on the pro-Henson vein. I loved the little-known and poorly remembered FRAGGLE ROCK. Definitely a highlight of imaginative programming. Too bad it has so thoroughly disappeared from the rerun stations.
__________________________________
"VOR": Eff you. Just sayin'.
__________________________________
We now return you to the debate-in-progress. I am personally laying bets in Vegas on who gets banned as a result of the little fracas. It happens every time, and costs us dearly in the voices who get silenced as a result.
Oddly enough, I thought this was a fairly forgiving group, but when we're arguing about the true definition of "Jihadi" and then criticizing because all sources weren't divulged up front -- well, enough said.
I probably have screwed up in the attribution/incoherent debating department so many times that, well, I guess it's my turn next.
(I mean, c'mon folks, these are posts on a website. Far more ephemeral and unimportant than even the most casual of personal conversations you will have today.)
"Being smart has nothing to do with anything. Smart people can also be wrong."
Frank, you do realize your thoughts go public when you press Send?
Time to weigh in here.
Frank refers to an data source for his argument. He does not quote the source, giving only a vague paraphrase of one of the sources arguments. Frank does not offer up any details of the source other than to give the author of the source document.
Barney acts in Good Faith, with Due Diligence, and finds a document by the author Frank cited, said document being on the subject of Barney's argument with Frank. Barney uses data from the relevant document he discovered by said author, in an attempt to rebut Frank's argument.
Frank then announces "I didn't mean THAT book. I meant this OTHER book over here!"
This is Frank attempting to make Barney look less than diligent in his attempt to rebut Frank.
Sorry, Frank. Bad Faith on your part,and/or lack of due diligence in making your source clear upon first citation.
Thanks for playing.
You can pick up your Lee's Press-On Nails from the girl at the front desk on your way out.
Barney is very high functioning, in that I have no doubt. Harlan befriends only the best. But treating me like low hanging fruit is no good as well. At least give me the respect I will gladly give you. I felt that our Barney gave into the media and the right wings view of Jihad. I recently saw the term misused in Newsweek, so it shows that the whole culture is littered with it, just as it ignores basic civics by telling us that the President is "our" leader. No, Sir., cappie, WE THE PEOPLE are his boss. He must represent our views, not make us follow his. Being smart has nothing to do with anything. Smart people can also be wrong.
Jihad:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jihad
It can mean a holy war and also a struggle. I want the peaceful Jihadis to fight--non-violently, if they can--the bad guys or at least be the cultural bulwark against arab youth being recruited into the baddie fold.
Reality is ugly, but ugly is all we have. Just as we must deal with Hamas, we must deal with peaceful strains of religious Islam. Nobody there is converting to atheist any time soon.
Better than spending our blood and treasure or using drones to blow up wedding parties. Great way to turn Jihad into the ugly column.
Real Politique got us by the short hairs folks.
---------------
This is how I deal with Mark from now on.
Mark, God bless.
-----------
Barney, I like you Barney, I truly do.
--------------
Australia must have cleaner water.
Captain America
Sorry to post so soon, but I'll be brief.
The rumor is that Chris Pine will play Steve Rogers/Captain America in the upcoming Marvel film.
I think he's a good choice!
JIM: Jim Henson is a regular guest at our house, although not much of a conversationalist these days. FRAGGLE ROCK, any variation of THE MUPPETS, or SEASAME STREET are a mainstay for my youngest son (while the rest of us also appreciate both STORYTELLER series). I can quote damn near any Jim Henson production you care to hear. In fact, what you didn't notice during this post is the lengthy pause as I tried to wrest CINDERELMO from the VCR. *sigh*
***
Today promises to be a long, difficult experience. Life changing. Any positive thoughts would be appreciated.
shagin
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Finished this over the weekend. Highly recommended, particularly for the narrative structure.
Plan to watch the movie soon, but first I have to review a Fraggle Rock DVD. About which let me simply say that I don't think many people fully appreciate what a rare, shining talent we lost when Jim Henson passed.
Doug Fieger, RIP.
Kevin Smith - buy a treadmill.
Healthcare
Funniest. Piece. On. Healthcare. Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/12/its-a-trap-stewart-mocks_n_459766.html
Pay The Writer
Just want to mention that Harlan's PAY THE WRITER on Youtube is currently at 357,166 views. Get your friends to watch and let's push it past half a million...
I "Heart"...Frank (there: I "said" it).
ALL (this means you, too Frank): Ocassionally, Frank even bugs the shit out of _me_ (and since I bug the shit out of just a _lot_ of others, that means Frank can be _really_ irksome). But more often than not, I think, Frank gets someone's goat because of the _way_ he expresses himself, not necessarily what he meant to convey (Frank if I'm wrong, feel free to say so -- thereby re-releashing any shit storms this admitted fart in a hurricane might help stave off). When Frank said something about getting the "good" Jihadis to fight the "bad" Jihadis, I at first thought the same thing Barney did: then, after some consideration, I figured Frank meant "fight" in the broadest sense of the word: resisting via _not_ being sucked into the B.S. of the fanatics, education via U.S. soldiers/diplomats and the greater Muslim population getting to know each other (thereby negating any propaganda spread by religious fanatics), etc. NOT literally setting two groups on the battlefield to destroy each other. Although, if actual battle was needed, I don't think Frank was shying away from _that_ either -- just as _we_ in America have to battle fanatics who want to bomb Federal buildings and abortion clinics, etc (and sometimes have to use violent methods).
As for the definition of Jihad: I'll admit to being an infidel, and always thinking of it in terms of holy war. But the definition is easy to find, and it does, indeed, mean to strive, to fight, to exert, usually in an _inner struggle._ Yeah, the term has been misappropriated for the most part -- by fanatics, by the media, etc. -- but that doesn't mean we need to give the misappropriation credence. No more than we should give a terrorist's bullshit manifesto credence.
All of the above was typed by a guy who has no dog _any_ religious fight: I think ALL organized religious groups are anathema when it comes to peace and well-being amongst humans. (We don't need "rule books" that are thousands of years old and filled with supernatural beliefs to tell us how to live, how to be kind to each other. And we don't need the -- mostly male -- leaders who continue to push those books and organizations. Spritualism, belief in a "higher being" is fine. But once the groups are formed and clubhouses built, trouble starts). Still, I know that we can't wish all of the ingrained B.S. away tomorrow. So we should try to deal with each other as peacefully and compassionately as possible.
Finally, in deference to STEVE BARBER's wise post: I "heart" Frank. Or at least his strange aphorisms and his sometimes -- but not always! -- cock-eyed view of the world. And I "heart" the fact that, more often than not, everyone here puts up with each other's often diametrically opposed views. So I hope everyone wont start picking on Frank, again, simply because he isn't a conservative or a moderate. That sort of Jackal-like behavior is what turned off of another author's forum.
And I'm NOT saying the above sort of behavior has occured -- just hoping it _won't_.
FRANK: Even though I'm pretty sure your closing lines were typed tongue-in-cheek, Barney didn't compare you to Ronnie Raygun: he just said that you made him recall that doddering old fool's favorite, gimmicky line.
Remember: Even though it flies in the face of the wisdom of the great J. Geils Band: Love doesn't _always_ stink (it just needs a bit of cologne or perfume now and then).
Cheers everyone,
DTS
I would like to interrupt the incoming storm of words for a brief "Happy Valentine's Day" from me and my Valentine to all of y'all.
With all of the nastiness brewing, I might remind everyone that Harlan's site is a source of intelligent and usually polite discourse, only infrequently sidelined by this sort of falderal -- at the end of which someone usually goes the one step too far and we lose yet another of the fascinating voices in this here place.
Oops, sorry, got myself distracted.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Frank,
A word of advice which, even though I do not care for you, is well intended: quit while you are behind. You ain't in Barney's weight class (neither am I, for that matter, no shame in that) and you make yourself look more foolish than usual in continuing to fight.
Barney thoroughtly deconstructs your argument and the best you can come up with is a literal translation of "jihad"? Come on man, you know damn well what that word is and what it stands for. It is a terrorist, one who kills innocents indiscriminately to further their own political agenda. They are a fringe minority who represent mainstream Islam than the hardcore fundamentalists represent Christians.
What is more, asking people to play nice is rather disengenuous coming from you, an acknowledged Master of the Sneak Attack (for proof, I reference a post from Frank last month where he took a shot at me without provocation).
Moving on from this distasteful subject, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day. Personally, I am looking forward to tomorrow even more as I have off for President's Day
All the best,
Mark
Frank Church
-
" There is a tissue thin skin between sanity and goofyhood"
only when you hold all knowledge, which you are certainly welcome to claim,
" silly is still silly no matter how one's ego supercedes their sanity. "
yes, of course, ideally our ego should never color our perception of reality.
but beware the ego-addictive nature of self righteous indignation (i often succumb). On occasion, the underdog is a dufus as well.
" Jihad means to struggle, that's all it fucking means."
you mistake the simple word translation of "Jihad" with the more contextualy signifigant religious and political definition. Struggle is not "all it fucking means". It also represents, to some, "kill all who will not conform".
" Because some insane people use it for violence doesn't mean a damned thing. "
no, it does "mean a damned thing", because in the practiced sense, it can entail the attempt to wipe from the face of the earth all who do not conform.
" Jihad can be used benignly or can be used to justify a holy war, using a parnoid, Crazoid rationale."
struggle for good is swell, violence is bad. We know you get that. Good for you.
" A Jihadi is a Muslim who struggles against an oppressive system and that's it. "
no, that is not "it". It's not "all". Again, the jihadi that many outside the faith are concerned with, are intent on wiping from existance all that do not conform with their ideology, oppressive or not. Not to make light of the position that some within the faith view aspects of islamic fundamenals as oppressive, as many ideologies can be.
" In the 60s we had the Weathermen, but we also had non-violence types. They both struggled--one set stupidly, another in a better way."
yeah, thanks, we got that now frank, talk good violence bad, we forgot it for a moment.
"Because someone who misrepresents a holy book uses Jihad in the wrong way is something I have no power over. The best thing is to make peace with the peaceful struggle against all tyranny and hunt down the bad guys. "
there are passages in the kuran advocating violence against the infidels. There are religious tyrants that hunt imaginary "bad guys". You know, anyone not of their faith.
we realize you have no power over their choice. No one blames you.
"We cannot fight a billion Muslims."
we need only oppose violence and oppression of belief. As you, to your credit, point out... constantly.
" Allah be merciful."
if there is a god, may they help us. (the agnostic side of my atheistic practice)
we've heard most of this before, and yet...
mike
WOS Awards
Not quite SF news, but "Doctor Who"-related in that David Tennant's "Hamlet" won three awards today at the What's On Stage Theatregoers' Choice Awards (Best Shakespearean Production, Shakespeare 4 Kidz, and Best Supporting Actor for Sir Patrick Stewart). Nominated for other awards were director Gregor Doran and actor Edward Bennett, who took over for Tennant when he had to leave the production and have back surgery for a prolapsed disc in late 2008.
The TV movie is due to be on Masterpiece in April of this year, by the way.
Tennant's co-star from "Doctor Who," John Barrowman (Cap'n Jack) won the "Milk Two Sugars Best Takeover in a Role" award. And yes, I find myself ridiculously jealous of him for looking better in a dress and heels than I do. http://rexisnotyourlawyerinfo.blogspot.com/2010/02/wos-awards.html
(Although speaking of "Rex," if anyone ever gets a copy of the pilot script, feel free to pass it on my way when you're done with it.)
CINDY: You go, Mom! One of my stories is a short humor piece that relies on the Southern stereotype including the ratio of accent to stress. I've caught hell from a couple of editors who see the piece as insulting and "stereotypical", but I take heart in the approval of a friend of mine, a Southern lady who laughed herself to tears reading it, saying that it reminds her of her mother and aunts when she was growing up.
(My friend is a dear, dear woman, old enough to remember having black house servants, who was taken to a lynching of a black man when she was 5 (one of the last in the county), and who despises any form of prejudice and fights it with every breath. To this day when refering to someone she does not care for she'll add "God bless him. Bless his heart." and mean it in the truest Southern sense.)
shagin
There is a tissue thin skin between sanity and goofyhood and silly is still silly no matter how one's ego supercedes their sanity.
Jihad means to struggle, that's all it fucking means. Because some insane people use it for violence doesn't mean a damned thing. I can have a Jihad against smoking, so that I can have a healthy set of lungs. Jihad can be used benignly or can be used to justify a holy war, using a parnoid, Crazoid rationale. A Jihadi is a Muslim who struggles against an oppressive system and that's it.
In the 60s we had the Weathermen, but we also had non-violence types. They both struggled--one set stupidly, another in a better way. Because someone who misrepresents a holy book uses Jihad in the wrong way is something I have no power over. The best thing is to make peace with the peaceful struggle against all tyranny and hunt down the bad guys.
We cannot fight a billion Muslims.
You don't even mention the right book Barney. What about Journey of the Jihadi.
Comparing me to someone dead was not funny either.
Now play nice, My friend. I come in Peace.
Allah be merciful.
Dick Francis R.I.P.
I just saw where former jockey/mystery novelist Dick Francis died today. He was 89.
RIP
If I may sneak in through the debates here...wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year.
May it be a year where all the BS gets cut out of the healthcare system...just for once I'd like to see a doctor with no fuss, muss, or bother. (Avoiding forking over $30 everytime I do would be nice too, but hey...that's a pipe dream.)
Cindy
Let's say that a doctor, through negligence, makes a mistake that results in someone being paralyzed from the waist down. That person has suffered not only physical loss, but substantial financial loss, in terms of lost wages, rehab, having to make a home more accessible (possibly even having to move).
You *really* think that person should not have the ability to pursue financial restitution?
I don't doubt that change is needed, but your suggestion is, simply, ludicrous.
Today
Happy Chinese New Year
It's the Year of the Tiger
Just because Harlan is amused by you doesn't mean I have to be.
*** Frank Church *** To quote one of my dead enemies, "Well, there you go again." In an internet reality where you feel MORE than entitled to go where you please and spew broad brush incoherent political gibberish that makes no sense whatsoever I hardly consider it a "hit job" to occasionally call bullshit on some of these random pronouncements of yours. So, I shall continue.
First, I am pleased you have a source and that it's not just random sunspot activity that makes you type these things. And certainly Gerges is an informed source. That his book, THE FAR ENEMY (ISBN 0521791405) is an interesting look at the herd of homicidal crazy cats you (and his reviewers) call "Jihadis" - even though I'm not 100% convinced this is a proper conjugation of "Jihad" - is one thing you and I MIGHT agree upon.
That you can read someone like Gerges (oh, dear me, look, a link!)
http://www.amazon.com/Far-Enemy-Global-Cambridge-Studies/dp/0521791405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266162721&sr=1-1
- and conclude that there are "good" and "bad" people actively engaged in Jihad is where I believe you have gone off the rails.
That there is a Muslim "engaged in Jihad" that wants, for me, a lapsed Lutheran and full blown Hitchens brand atheist a world that I could for one moment stand to live in is simply NOT going to be found in anything that Gerges (your After-the-Fact and still not sited "source") has written.
That you wish to conflate and confuse the issue and otherwise move goal posts to overlap those engaged in Jihad with the entire Muslim world - which I don't have as much of a beef with except for a few sticking points regarding women, children, human rights, science, literature and the arts in general, but as the kids today say, "whatever" - is what I have come to expect from you.
But you were not talking about the greater Muslim world, but rather about that subset ENGAGED in Jihad. That there is a warm and cuddly version of that world view is simple starry eyed nonsense.
That YOUR solution is that we should have found a more effective way to get them to fight among themselves is simply a solution that ADDS TO THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF HUMAN MISERY.
Just like some of your posts and all of your posturing, patronizing and snark add to mine.
Sincerely - Barney Dannelke
The Wolfman (2010)
If it wasn`t for the (at times) messy plot and unfocused script, there are long sections in this movie that I`d use as an example for how a remake SHOULD be done.
I really like it when southern women call me "honey".
Hangmen Also Die!
Wow! Wow! and Wow!
A great Fritz Lang!
Just caught it tonight.
Southern Belles and southern culture
CINDY: First, I think I was one of those who -- wrongly -- assumed you were one of the masses who have succumbed to Fox News (although, in my opinon, their _style_ of "reporting" has infected cable news networks looking at the bottom line).
Second, although it won't hold much water, tell Paris I only _love_ it when southern women say "y'all." Truth to tell, I only _love_ it when southern women say just about anything (like women from France, women of the south can make a grocery list sound seductive). And Texas wouldn't be Texas without chili, rattlesnake roundups, Willie Nelson, Tex-mex food and...a healthy sprinkiling of "y'alls" throughout any conversation.
Y'all -- you and Paris, and the rest of your clan -- take care,
darlin.
Xs and Os from Down Under,
DTS
First of all.. Y’all,
I'm not about to come here to THIS venue and parrot some shit I heard on Fox or from some "talking head." C'mon, gimme some credit here folks. My information came from real sources including CSPAN coverage on the floors of both House and Senate-- which I love to watch ( and my whole family hates) from the actual bills that were passed and also from the Congressional Budget Office-- which is supposed to be non partisan. My best sources have been actual doctors, including a brilliant dermatologist in Fredericksburg, Texas who gave me the iPledge information. She was disgusted by the healthcare bills and said every other doctor she knows is passionately against it. I asked her about the AMA endorsement and she bristled. She said it is a very small group of doctors with a heavy liberal agenda. She said most doctors are outraged by the AMA’s endorsement of such bad bills and the way the government has used that endorsement to say all doctors are in favor of legislation that they actually abominate. She said the current healthcare bill will cripple and destroy the level of care we have now and all the doctors she knows are dead set against it. She said if you want to see what the government does to healthcare check into the iPledge program.
I would never suggest anyone EVER be above the law! What I said was; it would be in the best interest of the country-- in order to bring down the cost of healthcare to criminalize true malpractice-- and take it out of the civil arena entirely. That means no one would benefit financially from malpractice… but bad doctors would be punished severely and barred from practicing in the future. The exorbitant cost of healthcare in this country is a direct reflection of defensive medicine, exorbitant malpractice insurance premiums and the government mandate for mountains of paperwork. With more government interference the expense will grow larger not smaller.
I don’t believe health care has improved because of lawsuits-- it has gotten more expensive because of them. I still believe that most doctors are in it for the health of their patients, are very careful and believe in the oath they have taken. Granted, there are some very bad doctors-- just like there are bad grocery store clerks, football players, hot dog venders and Avon sales ladies. There are a few stupid doctors too….their licenses should permanently be revoked. I like the analogy “shaving with a battle axe “ but it more accurately fits the current foot thick, 2000 page healthcare bill… which will damage the quality of care received by everyone.
“ In the old days, this was called compromising - one side would accept ideas from the other side in exchange for votes on the final bill. In this case the Republican side got all sorts of input and refused, as a block, to vote for the bill with their ideas in it. This is politics as blood sport, and nothing else.”
The Republicans didn't dare vote for it because they were listening to the people back home. Their constituents were apoplectic at the prospect of them voting to pass a 2000+ page bill that nobody had read. The Democrats hadn't had the time to read it either when they voted for it. No wonder the people are so pissed off. You wouldn't buy a house without reading the contract-- can you imagine signing off on healthcare--60% of our economy without reading the fine print?
“They boil down to this: 1) insurance reform to stop abusive practices, 2) a mandate that everyone get insurance (when everyone is covered, costs come down), 3) various subsidies so that the mandate is not a backbreaker for the public, and 4) an insurance exchange so that people have better options and information.”
Why did they need more than 2000 pages to say so?
“Personally, I would rather have a single payer system, which is more efficient and seems to be reasonably popular in the countries that do things that way. Certainly measurable health outcomes are much better in countries with single payer. MUCH better.”
We actually do have better outcomes than any other country or their people wouldn’t be coming here to use our doctors and hospitals when they need the best. Measureable health outcomes are much better in countries where the people are not inclined to the epicurean excesses that Americans are. We have freedoms that allow us to damage ourselves in ways that less affluent or hedoistic societies do not-- so outcome data is flawed.
“But the bills under consideration would do a lot of good; they'd be a big step up from where we are now. And if you think they were the result of some sort of far-left ramming through of legislation, I respectfully suggest that you need to do some more research.”
If you don’t think the far left has rammed through legislation--then you have not been watching CSPAN. They concocted the monstrous bill behind closed doors, excluding so many duly elected representatives. They orchestrated the vote so there wouldn’t be time for those elected representatives to even read it... and they ignored the voices of their own constituents. They bribed the Senators from North Dakota and Louisiana at the expense of the tax payers in every other state in the Union and it cost them.... Ted Kennedy's seat.
Common sense and basic business sense dictates that the current healthcare bills would cause costs to skyrocket higher than you or I could even imagine. They’re going to offer subsidies when they are borrowing 43 cents of every dollar the government is currently spending( mostly from China).How do you do that and make it work?
A public option would drive private insurance companies out of business. There will be no freedom of choice-- you’ll be stuck with whatever the government allows you to have… or not to have.
‘
“Insurance companies are evil and should not benefit from this. They kill, deciding who lives and who dies. One day soon we need single payer, so that these vastly immoral entities go the way of the Dodo. “
Medicare is the same thing. My ex-husband’s Aunt Pauline was diagnosed with cancer eight months ago. Her physician said there was a treatment that had worked well in other cases and he suggested it. Medicare refused to allow her to have it because it considered the treatment to be “experimental”. Her family took second mortgages on their homes, came up with the money and got her the treatment. She’s still alive-- and they said she wouldn’t be without the treatment.
That’s your single payer… if there had been no outside option for Pauline she would probably have died.
I’m not advocating for insurance companies-- I am advocating allowing doctors and their patients to make their own decisions. If the doctor says the treatment works and he wants to try it-- no one… not a government official or an insurance paper pusher is qualified to say no.
“As for your assertion that physicians are not in favor of health care reform, that just ain't true. Here is an article from CNN about the AMA's support of the House Democratic bill:”
I have not found a single physician who has not universally disparaged the AMA for endorsing what they tell me most doctors consider to be loathsome legislation.
Please--ask your own Doctor and post what he or she tells you.
“I agree completely that the government should not be -- in effect -- sitting beside the doctor as they practice their profession. The issue isn't the government sitting in -- you may misunderstand the proposed relationship of the government to the HealthCare industry. The primary issue isn't getting the government IN to your doctor's office, it's getting the insurance companies OUT of the exam room. As for myself, if asked to choose between the two I'd personally prefer the government, who views me as a patient, than then an insurance provider -- to whom I am solely an expense against profits.”
What you propose is bringing in rattlesnakes to manage a rat infestation.
Remember recently the government panel advised new changes to mammogram procedure? They said women in their 40s didn’t need mammograms at all and women over 50 only need them every other year.
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2331793.html
Our government is no different than the insurance companies--when it comes to healthcare it’s about the bottom line.
I also want to say I do not mistake any of this as an attack at all. I like to contemplate the views of the other side and learn from your ideas.
:)
Cindy
Diane Bartels,
There is nothing boring about what you wrote. And you are a person whose existence makes this world a better place. Your story is compelling and it shows you to be a survivor and a strong woman. Brilliant medicine is exactly what I’m talking about here. That is what we have-- now. It worked for you. This place wouldn’t be the same without your kind, sweet voice. Without the medicine you were able to get-- if it had been of less quality or less technologically advanced--- you might have had a different outcome. The finest medicine in the world-- that is what we have here. Anything less is not an improvement it’s a step backward.
If I understand you correctly your parents sued the insurance of the driver of the car that hit you. That is not what I am opposing-- I oppose suing the doctors. Not because bad doctors shouldn't pay--they SHOULD, only they should pay in ways that secure the public safety and do not put the cost of healthcare out of the reach of those who need it.
I wish they would fix the problem with Medicaid that prevents you from working. You should be a teacher because your demeanor and intellect would be a great benefit to your students.
I am grateful for Medicaid on your behalf-- this is what I am talking about, that the system does work to a point. It needs adjustments to benefit people like you who deserve the best care we as a Nation can give you. I deplore the reduction in benefits-- and that must be fixed!
You are lovely,
:)
Cindy
I have to add this here-- it’s off topic;
Paris peeked over my shoulder at what I have just written. She told me not to type the word “y’all“ as I did in my address to.... y’all.
She insisted that I erase it. She said, “It’s stereotype for hicks. We are hicks-- if we say “y’all.” Then she said, “ I don’t want to be a hick, I want to be a civilized being.“ then she said-- “that or Hannah Montana….who is a “civilized” or “moderate”- hick.”
I said, “ It’s our culture, Paris-- live with it.”
She said, “ Eeeeyouuuuu--”
She then read the phonetic way I wrote her response and then denied her own pronunciation… saying “ That further stereotypes hicks.”
I said again, “It’s our southern culture, girlie-- and you need to embrace it. “
Then she said, “ I’m a Yankee fan.”
I said, “ The New York Yankees?”
And she said, “ Nooo-- the people… yankees.” Of course she pronounced it “yahhhynkees.”
She said , “ The only good thing about southerners is the jerky and you know it.”
Where does she get this shit? It’s sacrilege!
C.
WHAT JAMES LEVY SAID
Ebert is refreshing, and there is only a small library of his essays and reminiscences available online. Type "Ebert" and "just about any film you can think of" in your google box (eww), and enjoy what you find. (James is referring to Roger's blog.)
Harlan pointed me in Roger Ebert's direction a long time ago.
Rick
Hi there Harlan. Greetings from the deceptively quiet Chicago suburbs. I was just wondering about something. JG Ballard was/is a huge wordplayboy headspinfluence on me, as well as your good self. I understand the two of you had some work intersections here and there, recall reading that somewhere many moons ago, and was wondering if you could give me/the people here an idea of how this came about, and what you thought of the man and his work, whether you met him, etc. His death was a tragedy, and we lost a great creative thinker there. So any insight or info you could provide would be fascinating to me at least, and I'm sure many others would find it interesting too. But if you're not into, well, no problem.
Just finishing editing my novel Soundproof Future Scotland spelling-error-and-terror-wise, and have a Ballard quote for the cover - used to correspond upon occasion with him. So you can see I have a very deep personal interest in what one excellent writer and thinker has to say about a now-sadly-deceased another.
Cheers, hope yer health is holding up, been hiding in the work and world trenches for a while and don't know your current status,
Scottish G.
The Revolution Will Not Be Holovized
Hey Diane
Thanks for the heads up re: Gil's new release.
I found the work of Harlan Ellison at the twelfth or thirteenth year and not long after that, the work of Gil Scott-Heron.
Like a left cross and a roundhouse.
Unfortunately, I think some of Gil's hiatus had to do with the long arms of the law.
Richard Halasz
ADoc. Z.nd My Bad English!
While "Eurepans" are well known to have very odd social and political modes, I meant to write "Europeans".
No big scandal in City Hall
Our own delightful TTC chairman Adam Giambrone has left the race to take over from the Prince after he admitted to having numerous affairs with several women while living common law. Steve, he also did the nasty in his office while at work.
Not surprised. Another rich spoiled brat trying to get away with what rich spoiled brats try to get away with.
Joe
P.S.
Thanks for the vent everybody.
Lies and Freedom
The way to respond to lies is not with a muzzle, but with the truth. Banning lies doesn't work. It drives the lies undergournd, gives the lies the imprimatur of the Forbidden, layers them with a patina of mystery,
Banning things with yet another law worked so well with drugs, guns and immigration, so why not use it for lies, in other words?
Truth is anodyne to the lie. The American legal dictum (from Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes) that you have no right to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire is a common sense rule To extend the rule to general speech, no matter how false or emotionally hurtful, is not what the America ideal has been.
Eurepans have different traditions and experiences with free speech, and I won't go so far as to tell a citizen of another country what to do or think.
After all, like every other website . twe have an international audience.
Doc. Z.
As for
Hi, all. I just wanted to share something good I just found. I have a feeling Harlan may already know about this. While browsing the net, I came across a story about a rap progenitor who just has come back to recording after a fifteen year hiatus. Intrigued by what I read, I looked up his new albulm and listened to some tracks. I am completely enthralled and enchanted by this artists music. His name is Gil Scott-Heron, and he is a musical and lyrical genius. His passion,his insight, his poetry are amazing. It is similar to rap, but also blues, and more. Given his biography, I have a feeling you may know him, Harlan. If not, I think you might enjoy him. I would recommend his music to all on here. Frank, I think you will find it very attune to your spirit. The name of the new albulm is "I;m new here." Diane
p.s. Correct all bad English in your minds.
Steve E.: You don't have to be ashamed *personally*, but a country that pays the worst kind of lip service to humanity's biggest problem does not function properly. You take our problem too lightly when you say things like: "While I ain't proud of it, I'm not quite ready to collapse into a puddle of self loathing over it (...) the country holds up pretty well."
"Holds up pretty well" and "Canada still works" mean nothing to the environment and future generations.
This is an international forum, and it is not the time for Canadians to assure each other that their country is in good shape or for Australian residents to explain that Australians are more civilized than Americans. It seems to indicate (true or not) about the people who do so that they have a dangerous blind spot or that they consider some things more important than preserving what's left of the planet (which such countries are destroying equally) for future generations. Right now one should not reveal oneself, correctly or falsely, between the lines or openly, to be a typical resident of such countries in an international forum, but show that one is ahead and on top, if one wants to continue to be respected.
It doesn't seem proper to suggest that the status quo in those countries is okay, tolerable or superior right now. (Please allow that I am not completely up to date on what their latest plans are.)
Last year Germany, due to some mistake or other, killed innocents in Afghanistan, so I can't go around saying we're helping Afghanistan. We are in some ways, but it's not the time to say we're doing a good job or that everything "works pretty well", or to say, "While I ain't proud of it, I'm not ashamed either". We should be ashamed about such things, not personally, but as citizens. Bad is bad; bad is not okay.
These comments were triggered by Steve E.'s lastest posts but not intended for him alone nor to be regarded as criticism of his attitudes but of his way of expressing himself, as seen through the prism of my weary mind. I'm annoyed by the general state of affairs, and I wish everyone else was just as annoyed. Knowing Steve slightly, I think he will glady permit me this.
Steve B.: I'm glad to see that, unlike Frank, you agree about lies, knowing how you feel about free speech in general.
A superior essay by Roger Ebert
Dear Webderlanders (and our esteemed host),
Roger Ebert has posted a superb essay, ostensibly about "a character I met from Dickens" on his website. I would encourage all to read it, as its evocative power and elegant construction are rare commodities these days.
Ebert has lost the power of speech and can no longer eat solid food (he's fed through a tube), but his mind is sharper than ever and he has been posting on a regular basis essays and observations of a quality I associate with very few writers (Harlan Ellison, of course, being one of them).
Enjoy.
STEVE B.: I got ya covered. Run, man, run! Tell Cris that I, I love her, but I know the two of your were meant to be together...
And mentioning CHARLIE for A-TC's list. Ouch...that's one I didn't think about.
***
Hubby is in Vancouver at the Olympics with two friends. Heard from him this morning. Things are going well. He said they found a "reasonably comfortable place to stand and watch the opening ceremonies on TV", walked around the city looking at the amazingly long lines, and he is staying warm (a big issue for him as he has had chill blains more than once). They will watch the Women's Biathalon today. Next weekend they are going back up to see the finals for the Men's Bobsled.
Early last year one of his friends offered to take him along, all expenses paid (far from glamorous, but definitely more than we can afford). It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and while I wish I could be with him, I think it's great that he is able to go.
***
DOONESBURY is continuing the story of Mel, the female soldier dealing with issues of sexual abuse by a superior officer, and how men and women relate to one another during extended assignments in remote duty stations. I feel the strips are well done, but some of the comments have me longing for a big stick and a can of Mace.
shagin
Friends of Ed Bryant
Noted Writer, Critic, and Mentor Ed Bryant is in need of help to do high medical costs and care. Details can be found here: http://www.friendsofed.org if you so feel the need to contribute to one who has been such a large part of the Speculative Fiction/Horror genre.
For people who do not go to the forums I want to mention that I thought Barney's hit job on me was silly and misinformed. I love Barney to death, but I did vet my comment about the Jihadis, who all don't put heads on sticks or do suicide bombings, just as all Jews don't support Nuttyyahoo. Islam is complex and Muslims have differing opinions--believe it or not.
Jihadi expert Fawaz Gerges is my source. He travels and talks to the leaders. He does independent analysis of the movements in the middle east. No biased leftie, he.
Barney old pal, google is your friend.
--------------
America has the most access to free speech in the world. The problem is most Americans don't know where to look. We have to hold their hands and show them the hallways of knowledge.
Dan Simmons
*** DTS *** - I haven't been over to Dan Simmons site in at least 6 months - which is why the release of his new novel BLACK HILLS (ordered 3 days ago) snuck up on me - but I was always careful to read Dan's posts (as I read Harlan's here) APART from the context of the rest of the board - as much as possible. If you do it in that light I think you will find Dan to be just to the right of center as media tends to define center in this country. Unless he went off the rails in the last few months about something. Fiscal conservative, a little world weary and cynical and perhaps of the opinion that the smarter people in the room are MORE entitled to their opinions then the less informed ones. And a dash of Heinlein.
Sounds like a few folks here on some days, depending on the topic. All I can say is try to separate Dan's remarks from his fans and acolytes and see what sort of mileage you get there.
I will say this. Even when I disagree with Dan I tell myself, "here's a guy who has well earned the right to his opinion."
- Barney Dannelke
Surprised to find out that Hayao Miyazaki's brilliant beautiful PONYO was NOT nominated for an Oscar for best animated film. Well all this does is to relieve me of any need I might have felt to pay attention to the Oscars this year.
More on Cannuckistan. . .
Jan and Joe,
Well Jan you're right about the emissions targets, and while I ain't proud of it, I'm not quite ready to collapse into a puddle of self loathing over it. Nor am I entirely sure it contradicts my point that the country holds up pretty well despite the occasional nuttiness of its courts.
Which brings me to your points Joe (I can call you Joe can't I?), which I can only presume were aimed at me, or intended as an indirect response to me (unless it was Frank): you are not wrong in anything you say. I do not disagree with anything you say. But you are refuting myths that no one here asserted. I certainly didn't: I said the country works (and that I miss it). I never said Canada was perfect or that it was a bastion of free-speech or that it wasn't capable of hypocrisy or anything of the sort. I'm as nauseated by the government's nationalized narcissism as you are. But let's keep things in perspective: in a world where violence and poverty and repression are the norm, Canada does alright. We could do far far worse.
(What's this I hear about a scandal in City Hall by the way?)
(It's O'Dark:55, EST. I make my break for the airport in an hour. Four hours before the bird is set to fly. Have checked the website, which reports conditions are good. With luck, I may escape this place before they realize I've left the hotel room.)
____________________________________
Personal peeve: Would someone PLEASE school the Conservatives that Hitler and Mussolini were *fascists* -- which is at the CONSERVATIVE end of the spectrum???
Call Obama vitriolic names if you must, but Cheney is far closer to Hitler ideologically than Obama is -- and the observation isn't an insult so much as ideological fact. Call Obama Stalin, or Mao, and you'll be a lot more accurate.
What was that I heard about an *informed* opinion? Simmons is an educated guy and ought to know better.
________________________________________
ADAM-TROY - Good column. You're going to get a billion of these, but the most heart-wrenching ill-fated love story has got to be Cliff Robertson's CHARLIE.
Wish I saw your note in time to comment yesterday...
(And yeah. Nie pun. Heh.)
________________________________________
Vancouver Games got off to a nice start yesterday. God that is a beautiful part of the world.
________________________________________
JAN's post regarding free speech is spot on. I am ardent in my defense of the FA, but as I have noted before it does not give people the right to deliberatiely lie in ways that can damage the Republic. (Fire in a crowded theater, etc.)
No one in power is acting upon it, but lies we have been told by those in office -- Bush, Cheney -- as well as the continued deliberate campaign of disinformation from Limbaugh, Coulter, Palin, Beck and the rest of the jackals, rises to the level of treason against the welfare of the nation.
They are entitled to say what they will -- but there are limits. Unfortunately, no one seems much interested in that particular rule of law any more. "Party of Law and Order" notwithstanding.
____________________________________
With luck, I shall be in my true loves arms for Valentine's Day.
Friends and friends
A wise man once wrote:
--It's enough for me that my friends are my friends. Expecting them all to like one another is too much to ask of anyone.--
Harlan's half sentence
Hi HARLAN: Quick note to make sure _you_ know that "Greyfoot" was asking about Dan Simmon's site -- NOT this one. And as a person who used to frequent the site(and who used to be friends with Dan), in my Thursday response I was merely answering his question in as honest as I could. Since Dan has taken it upon himself to write a few scurrilous things about me on that site (and has said things, about others, in _my_ presence, and done things which I believe call his true character into question), I could have _really_ been vitriolic. But I decided to keep it simple and call it like I see it politically: there are regulars over there who have compared guys like Hitler and Ho Chi Minh to "liberals." And one of the ultra-conservative regulars recently had to be asked by Simmons (only _after_ he had done this several times) to quit hoping for an early end to Barack Obama's Presidency (the obvious, but unspoken, thought being he hoped Obama would die --and since Obama is very healthy, well..."you do the math," as the kids say).
Hope my feelings about Simmons and his forum for crazy conservatives doesn't distress you too much. I know you two are friends.
As ever, I think highly of you, and regard you and Susan as friends.
All best to you and the Electric Baby,
Dorman
Addendum
I am, btw, unreasonably proud of the sneaky pun in the penultimate sentence.
imaginative dog and/or zombie manipulation
a stray dog i picked up was adopted by my father and his girlfriend in michigan.
dad was a "dogs belong outside", "attitude" kinda guy, but his was well tempered by affection and compassion. An insulated doghouse in his yard (it was the dog's yard, actually), a bed in the attached garage for the bitter cold nights and full kitchen priviledges to hang out with the pack.
at the sight of the pack member shivering on a bitter cold day, "girlfriend" properly let the dog in. she did good, nice lady.
through following springs, summers and falls, on occassion (often) the dog (when she saw you looking at her through the kitchen window), ... would shiver. Reinforced of course, by erring on the side of caution and compassion on those cold winter days to come.
a 12ft. chain attached to a long "cable run" terminated, at one end, to a tree near the kitchen window. on "occasion" the "pack member" would wrap the chain around the tree till further movment was severely limited, and whimper piteously.
numerous attentive, compassionate acts of releasing, and even walking the dog back around the tree were performed.
on one occasion, promted by dad's oft suggestion that she "figure it out herself", she was left to her own devices. While staring intently at the kitchen window, whimpering (she may have been shivering as well, i'd seen it), she was distracted by the sound or motion of a squirrel, chipmunk or bird that had invaded her yard. Without hesitation, she ran around the tree, the requisite number of times in the neccesary direction, to attempt the dispatch of the "invader", post haste.
My dad and "girlfriend" swore to this. I can only offer it as heresay.
anonymous but true story
Mention
I reference Harlan in this online article on 14 sf/fantasy films for people who hate Valentine's Day. I don't think anybody here will have much trouble deducing the context.
http://scifiwire.com/2010/02/14-sci-fi-flicks-to-watch.php
Correction
According to Amazon, the novel is coming out on March 30.
Spinrad
Concentric....
His novel "He Walked Among Us' is finally being published by Tor this month. And he has a personal website at http://www.sff.net/people/normanspinrad/ which he hasn't updated in awhile but it should give you an idea as to what he's been up to in the last year.
AR.
Where's Norman?
Any clues as to what Norman Spinrad is up to? I really enjoyed his Goo Tube channel, thinking "This guy is cool. He could have his own show. A little rough technically, which Mr. Spinrad acknowledged, but his charisma was shining through. Woah -- Bug Jack! The last post on his Goo Tube channel implies The Frenchmen are going to adapt Vampire Junkies, but that was two years ago. Then silence ... I know it takes ages for independent films to be made, but alot just didn't seem right about the teaser / proposal thingy posted. Appeared to me a whole lot 'bout nuthin', production-wise, borrowing imagery from other sources -- because they had none of their own. Actually, DAYBREAKERS fired a mental connection to VAMPIRE JUNKIES, which then had me wondering ... "Where is Norman?"
To Bud Ricks:
Apples n’oranges.
All I can say is until Doctor Dolittle comes along to tell you what dolphins have on their minds, or if we see dolphins draw shapes or symbols on a surface expressing a concept, as did our early human ancestors, your comments lie in the realm of conjecture.
What I wrote in my last post was not a “philosophy”; it was an observation. The issue here is about what we DO know right now in the patterns of human behavior. The trait I was identifying – the human imagination – is part of the cognitive link between symbols and language.
Yes, as far as we know we’re the only species with this faculty. But since there's no other evidence suggesting otherwise it's kind of pointless to bring it up, given the focus of the topic.
Apples n’oranges.
Let me reiterate the main idea in my last post:
“Personally, I'm fascinated by this attribute because it makes our species both brilliantly creative and acutely dangerous.
Unfounded fear can become a great threat once it turns into a conviction. The subject is less inclined to seek facts they may be missing, and join factions that share the same unsubstantiated conviction.
That's when humans behave stupidly. And, I think, more often than not, it originates by the aforementioned process rather than true external evidence. Such is the nature of 'imaginary fear'”
No METROPOLIS for U(SA)!
Seems the METROPOLIS streaming screening is off for anyone in the USA.
Roger Ebert wrote today:
"If you're American, viewing the restored version of "Metropolis" today (Feb. 12) may not be as easy as it seemed. The French and German sites I listed earlier do not have streaming rights here, I've learned. The sites will work in Europe, and may work in other nations.
Around the world, Zattoo.tv is the best way to watch the live feed from Berlin. However, Zattoo also does not have U.S. streaming rights. The Zattoo software is a free download."
This is way more than a few minutes of footage found in a corner. Shortly after METROPOLS was released in Europe, an American distributor cut over an hour from the film, deeming it too long for American audiences. I do not think Fritz Lang, the director, played any role in the edit. One way or another, this edited American version became the "standard" version. The few full length prints were thought to have been destroyed over the years. Movies were not considered a True Form of Art by most until they had been around forty or so years. Films were not preserved in most cases once they had done their run. Same with posters. Before about 1934 American movie posters were thrown out by theaters once a film stopped screening. The studios would ship fresh posters to each theater. Few, if any, collected them. In many cases old posters were piled up in attics and placed inside house walls as insulation (and sometimes even now homeowners restoring an older house find a literal trove of silent film posters that are not too badly damaged, and we have a bit more history and a bundle of cash for the homeowner). In the early thirties, probably to cut costs in the Depression, the studios stopped shipping posters directly to theaters, instead folding one up inside one of the film canisters. Theaters would pass the poster along with the print. That's why we have quite a few posters from the thirties forward. The studios got them back eventually and kept then with the prints in case of re-release or just because big corporations often just keep stuff for various legal reasons or simply because corporations have archives and archivists who want to keep their jobs so they store stuff away just because they can get paid to do it.
Anyway, this one will start to show up on cable and American streaming sites once the lawyers wet their beaks.
Doc. Z.
A HALF A SENTENCE TO MY FRIEND , DORMAN S.:
Your brief post of yesterday, Thursday, actually had me do a "whu--?" and a double-take on the grounds of our past liaisons, and I was, well, uh, I guess dumbfounded that...
(softly) h a r l a n
On a lighter note...
The remake of Universal's minor horror classic "The Wolfman" is a major letdown. The first quarter is a truly beautiful, poetic piece of work. This is the portion directed by Mark Romanek before he was fired. The last three quarters are pedestrian at best and the CGI is truly terrible. A shame really. Such a great cast. But, when you're making a multimillion dollar remake of a 'B' budgeted film, this is what happens. They can't be satisfied.
Romanek wanted to make a Lewtonesque piece of poetry and for a little while it works beautifully. And then it disconnects. You can actually spot where one director stopped and the other started.
Shame. A great shame.
Time to bust some myths up...
Canada is not perfect. It is not right. It is not the bastion of free speech that people have been breed to believe in.
We have commercials that run every so often about needing money to build the Canadian Human Rights Center/Museum/Art Gallery/Coffee Bar. It brings the bile to the back of my throat every time I see it. Wanna know why?
Truly great people, and by truly great I mean those who need no monument to mark their passing but have left deeds for the world to follow. Hence, Canadians, like Americans, will build a monument.
For a little over one hundred years or so the native peoples of this land were systematically abused. They were raped. They were murdered. One of the ways this GREAT nation did that was through the use of schools. Special schools where the savage could be beaten out of them. Or raped. Or murdered.
Compensation was offered for those that survived. PITTANCE for decades of abuse. And yet, one man comes forward to state that he was abused in a Syrian jail (although no proof was given)
and receives from the Canadian people the sum of 12 million dollars. There are more waiting in the wings. But the natives.
Those original peoples will have to make do.
I think the average for most of the victims of the provincial schools was around 10,000 dollars. For a decade or more of rape, torture and in some cases, murder. Imagine being 8 years old and told that you are worthless. And then being raped for years.
Canada could be a great country. As any country could be. But Canada, like other countries, is too full of hypocrisy to care.
Whose fault is it?
Canadians.
Don't believe the hype.
Restored 'Metropolis' to stream live
According to Mr. Ebert and NEWLY Restored 'Metropolis' is to stream live today. Nearly an hour of previously lost footage to be included. My question is - how long was this movie when it came out? It seems like every five years they find five or ten minutes in someone's footlocker or sock drawer. Looks like another version for the DVD collection.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100211/COMMENTARY/100219992
don't watch it for me...
...watch it in celebration of Black History Month.
Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Guy, and friends; circa 1965.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGUGXOxs6p0&feature=related
I could weep and moan.
Rick
Steve E. re Canada
"The country still works."
Technically perhaps, but it will exceed its agreed-upon Kyoto emission targets by 40 to 50%. Correct me if I'm wrong.
--
Frank:
"...denial of the holocaust. Sure, people that do that are awful, but their right to say it supercedes our moral offense. This is within the mainstream of enlightenment thought--we should always defend the speech we hate, first!"
Well it doesn't supersede my offense. There has to be a limit to everything, including free speech. Lies paved the way for the holocaust, just like they do for almost every man-made disaster. Tolerating lies is bad, but defending them, inviting them, putting the doormat out for them? People are susceptible to lies, especially young people; Americans should know this and act accordingly.
Tomorrow Neo-Nazis will march in Dresden to commemorate the bombing. Now that will be painful and embarrassing for most Germans but at least it's a historical fact.
Barney,
I think I love you. Nicely done.
All the best,
Mark
Frank Church
You can kiss up with your references to Mark Twain but he doesn't need pimping from someone who says things like;
"It seems about half of the Jihadis were very offended at Al Qaida and we had a chance to rally the good half to fight them, but we screwed up by invading their lands."
That is the most jack-legged broken logic I've seen on this board in the last two years. Jihadists, by their definition see you and I as infidels and they would all be happy enough to see your head or mine on a pointy stick. That you see some of this homicidal Star-Belly Sneech culture as good and the other half as bad without defining terms for what could possibly make tham this way, makes your remark entirely useless. That a BETTER solution in your eyes was that we should have found a way for them to perpetuate the fighting with EACH OTHER - as though they have needed ANY help from us whatsoever in this regard for the last 1400 years is absolutely ludicrous.
But do go on lecturing me about Mark Twain and placing him in proper context.
Sincerely - Barney Dannelke
Planet Cannuck
Joe:
Speaking as one Canadian to another, one who is also occasionally baffled by the decisions of judges and the uses of the charter, allow me to say: don't let it get to you. Chill. Despite all the strange decisions made by the supreme court, the country still works. I for one can't wait to get back. The decisions of Winnipeg judges (whom I agree with in this case - that woman's dangerous) and the existence of polygamous nutcases have not coloured my opinion of the country, nor the paranoid rantings of the Mark Steyn set: I lived with and worked alongside hundreds of Muslims in Toronto, and have yet to meet one who wasn't extremely grateful to be living there.
We could do alot worse, eh?
-Steve E. D.
Canada has a Christian Prime Minister, a real lout. But they also have hate speech laws that kept out both right winger Mark Steyn and left winger George Galloway. France and Germany can criminalize denial of the holocaust. Sure, people that do that are awful, but their right to say it supercedes our moral offense. This is within the mainstream of enlightenment thought--we should always defend the speech we hate, first!
Somebody else can cart us off next time.
--------------
Mark Twain, an enlightenment figure of the highest, was a member of the anti-Imperialist League, that fought against military intervention for plunder and gain. Today the moderates would call him an America hater.
Anti-Imperial thought is about as mainstream as puppies warm tongues and milk kisses.
Canada-Home of the Hypocrites and Imbeciles
This morning I HATE my country. Or rather, a specific part of it. A Winnipeg judge has ruled that a family cannot raise their children because, in part, they have raised them to believe in the supremacy of "white" people and that other races must die.
No one will argue that raising a child in that kind of environment is abusive. My problem stems from the fact that there will continue to be parents who will raise their children with the belief that the its alright to murder the "infidels". It will continue to be fine to breed like rats and use the ineffectual Canadian Charter of Rights to do so.
Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. We have another lovely member of the "white" race who has been using the Charter to protect his ability to breed with as many wives as he can and to spread his gospel of bullshit. Its a form of abuse, but because it is protected under the Charter, he can't be touched.
The next time someone tells you about how wonderful Canada is, look them in the eye and tell them -"So, what planet are you from"?
A sick and fucking tired Canadian.
Oops
Helps to hit the "paste" button before hitting the send button (I have a broken middle finger -- splinted with chopsticks! Am I a McGuyver or what? -- so I hope this goof/extra post will be over-looked. --DTS
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html
Religion & the Founding Fathers -- and Education in the USA
ALL: GREAT article in the NYTimes about both subjects above. I've known about the Texas (hence conservative & religious)) influence on text books for some time, but I had no idea how bad it's gotten of late.
Well ya might be right
I don't know for sure.
So I just have an informed opinion.
I do know I had a dog, well, my family did (got to be fair), and she would open a sliding screen door to the back yard by swiping at it with a front paw. Door would slide open, and out she would go.
But one day she hit it at just the right angle that it lifted off the track, and fell over on her with a huge clatter that sent her yipping and screaming away to hide under something.
For the rest of her life she not only would not open the door with her paw like that, she also would not go out that sliding door unless you opened it at least two feet , and even then she would stand several feet away as you opened it, then once opened she should rush through the opening, and turn to look back, making sure nothing was chasing her.
This same dog also loved to walk through some long hanging leaves in our flower bed. They were leaves on a plant called "Lily of the Nile" if you have ever seen them. She would walk up between these plants, letting the leaves stroke slowly along her flanks. She would do this literally in slow motion, picking each foot up and replacing it to the ground in a very deliberate fashion. After a few minutes of this, she would rush out of the bushes and roll on the grass to get the feeling, the "tickle" off of her.
She would sometimes stand on the patio, before doing this, and stare intently at the "Lily of the Nile", as if she were staring at prey. Then, without taking her eyes off of the plants, she would take one or two steps forward EXACTLY as if she were walking between the leaves of those plants, and her flanks would start to twitch in exactly the way they did after walking through those leaves for a few minutes.
Seems like imagination to me.
But I agree humans have way more of it than any other critter, and I also agree it makes us way more interesting and way more dangerous.
But I like having it.
For example, I once commented in a bull session that I could imagine that if I had been a German in 1933 or so, and had been pretty much otherwise exactly the same person I was when I was 21, I would probably have supported Hitler when he came to power. I would have been one of those "Well, yeah he's kind of nuts about the whole Jewish thing, but he'll probably lay off that once he gets what he wants. He' s just using that to get votes from the crazies. After all, he really has some pretty good ideas, like those Autobahns and the Volkswagen, and everyone's going back to work."
You know, one of those "Good Germans" that supposedly changed their mind about it all, later on?
I said that not because I have any sympathy for those "Good German’s" or for the Nazi ideology. I said it because I know how the imagination works. I had just seen "Triumph of the Will" for the first time, in a college class, and even though you knew it was bullshit, you knew about the war and the Holocaust, even knowing it was manipulating you, when you sat there in the darkened auditorium and let the images and sounds wash over you, if you let your imagination play, you got sucked in.
It's just plain creepy, but it's also just plain human.
We can all be zombies, if we aren't careful enough.
Doc. Z.
Metropolis Restored Edition
Call me a Luddite if the urge hits you, but I can't wait for the DVD.
Restored METROPOLIS to stream live TOMORROW!
Can I really be the first to report on this here?
The NEWLY restored METROPOLIS streams live online tomorrow, incorporating the HOUR of lost footage discovered in Buenos Aires back in '08.
Details here:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100211/COMMENTARY/100219992
What a great day to be snowed in, for those who are...
Wyatt
Hi Susan & Harlan
First episode of
Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature
is now available at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qj2pf
Also 21 interviews with US authors broadcast on BBC over the past 12 years are available.
Best
Steve
ps was in Manchester last week, you would not recognise the place.
imagination...and the limits thereof
correction, Rob. No other animal that "we" humans know of, or enough about, so far. Not so sure we understand whales or dolphins well enough to know if they can't imagine in a similar fashion to us. Come to think of it, we don't know our own brains well enough! Could be there ARE more animals capable of imagining things then are dreamt of in your philsophy, Rob.
Though its off the subject of dreaming, some recent articles about stray dogs in Moscow found they were evolving in intelligence...learning to ride trains, con and startle folks out of food, etc.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/628a8500-ff1c-11de-a677-00144feab49a.html
http://englishrussia.com/?p=2462
Imaginary Fear...
Suggest you look up the term infra sound.
Joe
Doctor Zombie
"Imanginary Fear" may not be unique to humans. Reacting to it is very understandable, and has little to do with intelligence, and more to do with experience or lack thereof."
The definition of "imaginary":
lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria
The definition of "imagination":
The formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.
No other animal has this mental attribute. It is strictly a special human sense, constituted by billions of pathways located in the cortex. It's a function that allows us to define the world as we might perceive it without necessarily needing external cues to trigger any of our vital senses. Thus, we connect with concepts that often tie in with our emotions - love, fear, hate, fascination - entirely within our subjective minds.
Unless a fish or a dog told you something I don't know, we are the only species on the planet capable of this feat. Other animals do have a limited "learning" imagination, enough so that they may learn from their parents or experience to survive and prosper, but thats about all. They do not have a creative imagination that would allow them to assemble a concept and react to it as though it were a physical reality. They fear anything that their physical senses register as an intrusion on or threat to their terriroty.
We, on the other hand, don't particularly need a specific experience or sensory cue to shape an idea, and actually get phobias worked up in reaction to it as if it were something real.
"Imaginary" fear, then, is part of the human cognitive process. It allows me to sit in my living room by myself, reflect about unrelated topics, coalesce the topics, and arrive at a whole new idea composited from my musing, to which, in turn, I might react emotionally; possibly with fear. Conversely, fear memories in humans can be blocked during a window of re-consolidation with new information from the external world.
Personally, I'm fascinated by this attribute because it makes our species both brilliantly creative and acutely dangerous.
Unfounded fear can become a great threat once it turns into a conviction. The subject is less inclined to seek facts they may be missing, and join factions that share the same unsubstantiated conviction.
That's when humans behave stupidly. And, I think, more often than not, it originates by the aforementioned process rather than true external evidence. Such is the nature of "imaginary fear".
Top 10 Tragic Love Stories in Geek Fiction
Kirk / Edith Keeler tied at #2:
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/02/the-top-10-tragic-love-stories-in-geek-fiction/
--Grayson
Free Thinking -- and sailing
GREYFOOT: Only this: if you aren't conservative (or, like most of them,ultra-conservative) and decide to try and join a debate over there, be prepared to be treated (by the other "guests" _and_ the host) like either a liberal, or even a left-of-center moderate, who has made the mistake of believing he'll be treated equally while guesting on a "fair & balanced" Fox News show (something even Jon Stewart couldn't do). Bad behavior and muddled thinking is much more tolerated there if your ship leans starboard (lean to the port, or run true and "yar," and you'll be attacked from all sides). Good luck!
Cheers,
DTS
For Tony Isabella:
http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-19958-1000-comic-books-you-must-read-(review).html
GWYNN: I still have your number. Let me know if you'd like to me call. There is no such thing as a bad time. With a life well lived, and if your uncle is at peace with how this will end, I could hope to close his eyes gently. Be safe.
***
STEVE: You want I should sacrifice one of my kids to The Gods of The Airline Industry to get you home before Saturday?
shagin
Steve Barber in Philly
Rosenbach Museum and Library 2008-2010 Delancey 215-732-1600 All of Stoker's papers on DRACULA;a lot of Joyce. Edgar Allan Poe House 7th and Spring Garden 215-597-8780. Mutter Museum-the museum of the Philadelphia College of Physicians-surgical anomalies 19 south 22nd 215-563-3737. And Rangoon at 112 n 9th 215-829-8939 Burmese food to die for (the deserts not so much) .Try the ginger salad and the 1000 layer bread. And call first considering the weather and condition of the streets.
Frank...
Is Citybeat online?
Tony
To:
Frank Burris:
Received your postcard, thank you. It did not contain your address (RH #49 was originally returned). Please send info.
With all best wishes, Susan
Best Laid Plans
So...
Anything to do in Philadelphia? I have a couple of days on my hands.
(In town now through Saturday. If any of you lcals want to meet up, shoot me an email. First round is on me....)
Alinsky was a renowned organizer, revered even by Hillary Clinton, a Goldwater Girl who later became a right wing democrat.
Thanks for that one Unca Harlan. I keep forgetting that you knew everybody.
-------------
Hands off guys, Naomi Klein is mine.
--------------
You guys want an independent view of Islam and their culture, go to Fawaz Gerges, he is an expert on the Islamic movements.
It seems about half of the Jihadis were very offended at Al Qaida and we had a chance to rally the good half to fight them, but we screwed up by invading their lands.
They see the west as a meddler, rightly.
-------------
Tony Isabella, you got a good writeup about your comic book guide in our local rag Citybeat. They gave you a solid b plus. You're a renowned historian of the comic book or so they say.
We should start calling you the Chomsky of comics.
HE mention
Harlan is mentioned in yet another article claiming James Cameron ripped off the story of AVATAR -- this one says Cameron stole from Ursula LeGuin's 'THE WORD FOR WORLD IS FOREST', which of course I'd read but it never crossed my mind before.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/artsandentertainment/83659192.html
Unca Harlan,
While reading “Rules for Radicals” I could easily picture you and Saul, together, stickin' it to the man. Thanks for the wonderful anecdote.
Free Thinking
Hello Harlan and Pavilioners,
I've been looking at Harlan's colleague Dan Simmons' website, specifically at the forum, and have noticed a disturbingly ideological bent there. It seems he's thrown in with right-wingers, despite that just 3 or 4 years previous, rejected throwing in with ANYBODY (his laudatory piece on Wendell Berry was sane and beautiful).
Any thoughts on this?
grey
STEVE, sorry I missed you - I would have liked to meet you! Let me know next time you come into town.
Gynne: I'm sorry to hear about your uncle Don. He sounds like a terrific man. I know how you feel right now, with Dad in his condition and a friend of mine with pancreatic cancer.
Cancer the thief comes stealing in. I hope for comfort for Uncle Don, and continued awareness that he is loved. For he certainly is.
Chuck
A Good Man
Today Mom took Great-Uncle Don to the cancer doc. The Merkel cell carcinoma on his face has spread into his nerves. The doctor said that he had about 3-4 months to live. They are setting up Hospice. Please pray for a gentle passing for him.
This is the man who, when Bryn Mawr canceled my scholarships for my last semester of Senior Year because I had to take a 1 year break to deal with liver tumors, offered up his life savings: $17,000. He worked in a factory, or as a security guard his whole life. I can remember lying in a hospital bed and him bending over me and patting my hand and saying "This gal's too smart to not let her finish college. We'll get you through honey, you just get better, I'll take care of the rest."
He took $25-$50 payments monthly on this loan until he inherited money from the death of one of his brothers. Then he wrote to me and said he had enough money for one man and that the loan was forgiven.
I talked with Mom at length. Stressed the necessity of having an advanced directive with a DNR taped up to the fridge of his home in case he codes and someone there calls 911. Uncle Don asked the doctor if they could just "give him a shot and end it here". He is taking it stoically right now.
I'm rattled. I don't know what to think or do. I don't have the money to go home. I was straight up with Mom about that. I asked her to tell me when she needed me to come home. At that point I will have to borrow the money for a ticket from someone, possibly a close friend, and go home.
Both Mom and I were very calm on the phone. No tears. Don has had a long, good life. He survived D-Day. He survived liberating a concentration camp. He always rode his bike, never owned a car and never married. And he was happy with his life. He owned his home and cared for it and that made him happy. He is 96 years old now and he says "that's old enough to die".
Uncle Don had a full life, so that's good, and that helps put the sadness part into perspective. If you pray, or meditate, or make sacrifices to your tutelary deities, please offer up prayers that he does not suffer. He was, and is, a good man.
Hi. Been bummed out for a couple of days. But the fight in my mother's extended family is beginning to be better, my brother David, who stopped talking to us in Dec. for no apparent reason stopped by today,brought the dog Barney for a visit,shovelled me out, and we're good. Oh, it snowed here. We also had an earthquake. I know you Californians get earthquakes; but not simultaneous blizzards, right?
This is my health care take. Cindy, you are the best and coolest person. I have enormous respect for you. But you are wrong about this issue. I have to supply background re me. Some of you may know some of this already. In 85,when I was 25, I was hit by a car while crossing a street. I fractured my skull, had a right subdural hematoma,fractured left hip and pelvis, fractured rught tib and fib,dislocated shoulder. This gets boring,you guys can skip it. I was in a coma for a while, developed pneumonia, threw bloodclots, my brain swelled, requiring a head shunt. I was in Evanston hospital 6 months. My doctors got me back together. Brilliant medicine. I was working an office job that had no health insurance. The man who hit me stopped. There was a law suit filed by my parents before I woke up. That payed the hospital bill. I have tried very hard to get back to work ever since. Each time I try, it screws up my Medicaid. Which then makes my life impossible. I have had 21 surgeries or better. My blood pressure in part because of the head injury,(splains a lot re my posts, huh guys?)is astronomical. I am on 7/8 meds, one of which is 200 a month. I have never heard a peep from Medicaid. They paid all the original hospital bill. After the settlement money ran out, and I got back on, they have paid for knee surgery 3 times, hip surgery three times, gallbladder, my shunt replacement in this past Jan., the blood clot from being rearended in March this year, my heart attack, and this last heart thing three weeks ago. They do not question or quibble. Since George W. started this war and funding has been cut, the providers dont get paid for months on end. but Northwestern always treats me and well. In contrast, years ago when I worked briefly and was insured, the co. spent 2 years fighting the bill. A convincing argument can be made and I make it to myself some times, that my continued existence ain't worth the expense. I haven't really done anything that stupendous with my life. But I am currently uninsurable. I very much want to finish my credits and go back to teaching, because I am a good teacher and I like it. But without Medicaid, I am scared. I could go on about how Humana killed my mother and then pestered my father for years till he reported them to the state. but I've said enough. There are many people in my situation. I've been to Cook County Hospital. If you've been shot or stabbed, their ER is great. You don't want to go there for regular medical care. Trust me, I've been. You don't. Love you Cindy. Hope you're well. Diane PS The insurance is not the only reason I dont work. I am fairly disabled
Imaginary Fear
"Imanginary Fear" may not be unique to humans. Reacting to it is very understandable, and has little to do with intelligence, and more to do with experience or lack thereof.
I do not mean full blown paranoia, rather I mean the sort of creepy "something is out to get me" sense of dread one might get as you walk up a dark flight of stairs in an old building that creaks as joints expand and contract from changes in temperature.
Around age 5, I was in Arizona visiting grandparents. I was sitting in the living room alone, reading a comic book. The rest of the family had gone out to the pario to catch a desert breeze in the late afternoon. The house was cooling, and joints started creaking as they contracted. Of course, at 5 all I knew was that, once all the people had gone outside, the house seemed to come alive. At first it was sort of fascinating. The longer I sat there, the longer the shadows got, the louder the creaks got, the fascination turned to rock solid conviction that the creaks were the sound of something stealthinly coming closer to get me. Finallly unable to stand the tension any longer, I lunged for the door to the patio and slammed it open, practically in a panic.
After it was explained to me what had been going on, I never got freaked out over those creaks again. Experience. I did still get the feel of dread over them, but then I would kick in the experience part and just disregard the sense of immanent and imminent danger, and it would go away. Frank Herbert, "Fear is the mind killer" and all that.
Humans have this ability to personify "noise" (data, if you will) from the environment, to assume that random signals are not random at all, but are instead bits of information from something that is after us and intent on getting us.
Well, we have that ability because the humans, and their non-human ancestors, in our genetic line were hunted and eaten by predators. The ones who were a bit more skittish, who somewhat more often interpreted wind rustling the reeds by the river bank where the sweet nerries grow as positive indicators of a predator, those ancestors survived at a somewhat higher rate than the ones who kept on eating the berries that grew by the river even when the bushes rustled loudly. It might just be the wind, after all, and the berries are very sweer, they thought. Meanwhile the others that thought the rustling was a bear or lion, they ran away. So when the reeds moved from an actual predator, they were up in the trees or elsewhere far away watching as the berry eaters were eaten. Since being eaten is unconducive to passing your genes on, you get the idea of how this works.
You know, Darwin and all that?
Anyway, that's why humans still get freaked over stuff their rational (right!) minds tell them is "just the wind".
Plenty other prey animals, large herbivores in particular, have this ability. Just try walking up behind a horse, real quiet in that spot behind them where they cannot see without turning their head. Then just barely tickle the horses ass with a feather. Just barely.
This is called one horses ass tickling another.
Actually, don't really do this.
A horse can kill with a kick of those hind legs. I don't need that car. Ma!
Doc. Zombie
We Interrupt The Ongoing Discussion of Healthcare Reform...
...to share that I finished reading the HORNBOOK and appreciated every commentary and twist of phrase. I enjoyed the Internim Memoes almost as much as the essays themselves. Harlan, I particularly liked the essay on your time with Three Dog Night. Thank you for including it in the collection.
YJ asked why the essays were gathered in a HORNBOOK when you didn't have horns, and I assured him that you did have horns under the halo tucked under your yarmulke. After I explained what a yarmulke was, YJ offered to send you a propellor for your beanie if you like.
Please, don't kill the messenger.
shagin
Well...I was sharing this with Steve over on the board, simply to reaffirm that:
There is this religious paranoia about government, an imaginary monolith between you and your physician (without any historical evidence in this country to show that would be the outcome in a government-run program! Only evidence indicating the opposite). Yet, the real problem - profit-motivated insurance companies who really DO stand between you and your doctor - is something that just doesn't seem to exist for those who prefer the phantasm to the real. It's one of the purest delusions I've ever seen. Imaginary fear: it's another one of those instincts, I was telling Steve, unique to human nature - often to our detriment.
The Progressives in Congress are the only people trying to get something done for ALL of us, and they remain in the minority, even in the debates among media pundits and centrist voters.
I haven't yet mastered patience over frustration. I'm just not that mature yet!
REPLY TO RAY CARLSON & FRANK CHURCH
Yeah, met Alinsky back in The Day. Not enough one-on-one connection to make a BIG Alinsky reply, but he was absolutely one of my idols. My favorite Saul Alinsky story (and if I get the quote slightly atilt, you'll give me a pass, please) has to do with an occasion sometime in oh I dunno, maybe the late '40s/'50s, in which Alinsky and his agitators did something or other that, miraculously, had EVERYONE, even their cutthroat enemies, praising the shit out of him, laudits, plaudits, huzzahs from every corner. So Alinsky walks into his ragtag office the day after this public coronation of joy and props, and his face is on the floor, and everyone looks up at him as he comes in, and Alinsky says, "Don't worry, guys, we're going to weather this storm of approbation and come out as despised as ever."
That kills me.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Pissing in the wind
BARBER: I won't reiterate what I've said (ad nauseum) about my impression of the USA and most of my fellow citizens these days. But: take a look at Cindy. She's a sweet woman. Kind, thoughtful, caring...yet she's bought into a lot of the hype and disinformation being spread. And it would seem this is because she hasn't turned to the right sources -- many people (on _both_ sides of any political argument) often remain willfully ignorant because their _leaders_ often tell them everyone else is lying, much like the preachers at many churches tell their "flocks" not to look outside the "Good Book", or not to read anything that might contridict it.
In _my_ book, that's willful ignorance. Gotta look at _both_ sides of the argument; gotta size up both sides of the aisles in politics; gotta look at the debate logically and figure out who has a vested interest, and who is trying to be altruistic. Also: gotta stop typing sentences that sound as if they are uttered by like the older ex-Pres. Bush.
So: we ALL know Cindy is a good egg, a loving mom, a terrific neighbor and an important part of her community. Yet she has fallen prey to the Evil Empire (as I like to think of them): the conservative gestalt, made up of things like Fox News, conservative radio talk show hosts and conservative think tanks that get articles out in the media (especially if said articles are syndicated -- after reading an article, _very few_ people look up the author's bio and see if he or she works for an organization that might have a vested interest).
We also know that Cindy isn't the only one out there like that YES, there is only one Cindy -- we wouldn't have it any other way; but there are many, _many_ others in the USA with moderate or conservative viewpoints who believe nearly everything they either see in on TV (via popular news shows like Fox News), hear on the radio (when's the last time anyone _didn't_ run into an obnoxious, conservative talkshow host when twirling the dial?), or read in a local paper (and if said paper is conservative in it's viewpoints, it will spout the conservative line).
Good luck with your experiment, Steve (if you're still giving it a go). I still think you're gonna be pissing in the wind. Either it'll take a catastrophe far greater than what's happened recently (all those troops dying, or getting crippled, in Iraq, for nada; the loss of more freedoms under the last administration; healthcare getting more expensive by the day; politicians in Washington making sure they get their raise before considering minimum wages every five to fifteen years; politicians selling out to the highest bidder, or lobbyist; etc.), or things will just keep rolling down hill till our country hits bottom.
The problem isn't government officials; the problem isn't CEOs or lobbyists. The problem is the average citizen on the street. The ones who are happy to remain ignorant, and herded like sheep; the ones who believe in nationalism over humanism; the ones who still buy into the lies McCarthy, Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush perpetuated; the ones who are willing to to get another bitch slap from Big Business or uncaring politicians, without standing up together and saying enought is enough. Right now, in the USA, there are just too many of that sort.
Color me cynical.
All best,
DTS
LOST HERC MEMBER:
Victor J. Knight
Hopkinsville, KY
Thanks--Susan
Health Care Reform
Cindy,
Your information on the health care debate is not accurate.
Both bills that have passed contain language barring insurers from denying care based on pre-existing conditions, and that idea did NOT come from the Republican side. They had years and years to do something about that and never so much as brought it up in a committee.
Both bills contain very precise language revising Medicare to reduce wasteful spending. When this came up the Republicans squawked that the elderly were going to have their benefits cut (even as, now, their chief budget expert in the House is suggesting massive, across the board cuts in the same program)
Regarding tort reform. Yes, there are frivolous lawsuits and unscrupulous lawyers. There should be some changes there. But no one should be above the law - including doctors. And the hard truth is that health care has improved because of lawsuits. Malpractice is not imaginary, and sometimes it takes a lawsuit to improve practices. It can be ugly, and I sympathize with doctors who feel like they're constantly under a microscope - but on the other hand I do want my doctor be be very careful with my health. Striking a balance is difficult, but it's key. I think your "end all lawsuits against doctors" idea is like trying to shave with a battle axe.
Regarding Republican suggestions: there were a total of five committees involved in writing the bills that ultimately were passed, 3 in the House and 2 in the senate. In just one of those, the HELP (health education labor and pensions), the Republicans offered 287 amendments. 161 of those passed with bipartisan support. You can find similar numbers for the other committees, and for the merged bills (especially the merged Senate bill).
In the old days, this was called compromising - one side would accept ideas from the other side in exchange for votes on the final bill. In this case the Republican side got all sorts of input and refused, as a block, to vote for the bill with their ideas in it. This is politics as blood sport, and nothing else.
Neither of the bills that have passed thus far are anywhere near a government take over of health care. They boil down to this: 1) insurance reform to stop abusive practices, 2) a mandate that everyone get insurance (when everyone is covered, costs come down), 3) various subsidies so that the mandate is not a backbreaker for the public, and 4) an insurance exchange so that people have better options and information.
Personally, I would rather have a single payer system, which is more efficient and seems to be reasonably popular in the countries that do things that way. Certainly measurable health outcomes are much better in countries with single payer. MUCH better.
But the bills under consideration would do a lot of good; they'd be a big step up from where we are now. And if you think they were the result of some sort of far-left ramming through of legislation, I respectfully suggest that you need to do some more research.
MM
Gwyn, very sweet. We really do agree with each other we just have our tiffs. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, brings fire to the soul. Wish a certain person from Minnesota would get that.
Yea, the NSA is doing some horrible things and this is Obama's NSA now; nobody can now deny that. Not only can the NSA look at our emails they can listen to all of our phone calls and set up any of us as a terrorist. Remember, a suspected terrorist is now an arrestable offense.
Phone companies work with the government on this, which is why I no longer have a phone. No phone. Fuck them. Call this a conspiracy theory but James Bamford, among others have mapped this stuff out.
The eyes of the state prowl in our beds. That touch on the small of the back may not be your honey or a ghostie. The machine is eating our tax dollars like a greedy beast.
Don't forget, there is a black budget that is secret. I smell fascism.
--------
Cindy, I cannot sue a doctor? Why are doctors holy? Did you know John Murtha died because of a Doctor's fuck up? The government should never tell a judge or jury what they can decide. Best to have a better educated electorate so they can make stronger decisions on such matters.
This is like mandatory minimums. Put a guy in jail for life if he steals a pizza. Not good.
Barack Obama is willing to compromise, but the GOP must also, especially knowing that Obama won and has the mandate. If they go along with the public option we can look into some form of tort reform. The GOP just wants to say no.
Good idea on the free clinics. Free hospitals are even better.
Insurance companies are evil and should not benefit from this. They kill, deciding who lives and who dies. One day soon we need single payer, so that these vastly immoral entities go the way of the Dodo.
Do you know there is more bureaucracy in corportions than in government generally? Why do you think corporate buildings are so huge? All that paper shuffling is done to cover up their scams. Look at the Blue Cross, Blue Shield buildings in Boston. Compare them to the billing department in Canada. Candada is a one floor basement, while the Boston corporate headquarters is huge.
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1acHg3mhw
Have a good day Ms. Cindy. We all love you. This is a mere soft spankin.
In response to an earlier posting about the opposition of most Americans to nationalized health care, I recently came across this poll showing a ton of support for the initiative:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2010/02/americans_spread_the_blame_whe.html
Also, the Atlantic just had this fascinating article about the long term effects this Recessions could have on America as a society. It is a lengthy read but I would encourage everyone to take a look at it:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201003/jobless-america-future
Cindy, I thank you for your passionate response. You & I are in agreement on a couple of major points, namely that the current system is broken and that quality health care should be extended to everyone. Agreeing on that fundamental principle (which most Republican members of Congress emphatically do not), puts on the same team.
You talk at length about the difficulties of having government run health care. How do you reconcile your dire view of that with Medicare? That is generally viewed as one of the most effective organizations in government and has approval ratings that exceed most privately run health care groups in quality control surveys
However, that is really beside the point, as Mr. Barber stated correctly the issue is not about the government interfering with health care decisions, it is about limtiing the role of insurance companies from the medical care process. Those "death panels" right wing opponents of health care reform are so fond of referencing? They already exist in most insurance companies, in the form of employees whose sole purpose is to deny claims to existing customers.
Your idea of removing malpractice and substituting jail time is a novel one, but one that would do more harm than good. How afraid would any physician be if a diagnosis went wrong and he/she might be facing a prison sentence? Quality of care would plummet as individuals would leave the field out of fear that a common mistake might cost them years of hard time.
As for your assertion that physicians are not in favor of health care reform, that just ain't true. Here is an article from CNN about the AMA's support of the House Democratic bill:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/05/health.care/index.html
and the section from the AMA themselves on their support for Health Care Reform:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/index.shtml
Cindy, you are a nice person, and I hope you do not view this as a personal attack, as it is not in the slightest. Health care reform is one of the major issues facing Americans today and I am very focused on it. My fear is that if a bill is not passed (probably through reconciliation of the Senate and House Bills), then the Dems will pay a very heavy price in November and any chance for reform will be lost for a decade or more.
Mark
Google Sucks
Here's a terrific, private, search engine alternative:
http://startpage.com/
Cindy - Excellent post and points. I think you will find the iPledge screwup was done under a Republican Congress, though the Dems have done equally boneheaded things. I will note that the program was put in place because of the significant propensity of the drug in question to cause birth defects.
I agree completely that the government should not be -- in effect -- sitting beside the doctor as they practice their profession. The issue isn't the government sitting in -- you may misunderstand the proposed relationship of the government to the HealthCare industry. The primary issue isn't getting the government IN to your doctor's office, it's getting the insurance companies OUT of the exam room. As for myself, if asked to choose between the two I'd personally prefer the government, who views me as a patient, than then an insurance provider -- to whom I am solely an expense against profits.
________________________________________
The fiber that comes ashore just south of San Francisco does, indeed, carry many millions of email messages a day. It also contains tremendous amounts of other kinds of data as well as a huge amount of voice traffic.
Given that the cables there and elsewhere in the country are owned by a multiplicity of companies, and given the volume of traffic, the details of your email are not being read. In point of fact, I seriously doubt that there is a straight line to the NSA where they review each and every message sent (the scale of such a project boggles the mind -- and my mind is used to working on exactly these sort of projects).
The admonition that your email is niot private is a sound one. Email is pretty easy to intercept and read -- even your kid can do it if they know your password.
But unless you're using the keywords regularly, and sending email to your friends in Iran, being worried about it is simple paranoia. Think of it like the chance of being audited by the IRS, only exponentially less likely. Unless you've attracted the attention of the Feds in some other way, listening to your phone conversations, reading your mail, and decoding your email would be a colossal waste of their time.
(Years ago there was an equal consiracy theory that the government was reading your regular mail. After all, the Post Office is part of the government, right??? The problem, again, is scale, manpower and reason for interest.)
Your private account email to Aunt Daisy about your day at work is safe.
(Provided you aren't using work email and THEY are monitoring your messages...hmmmm....)
_________________________________________
It's a beautiful winter wonderland outside my hotel window. Big, beautiful flakes. A half-inch to an inch in size. Millions of them. Falling quickly.
(Much the chagrine of the hotel employee who is trying to shovel walkways in the parking lot. He don't look happy.)
SARA - Tried to catch up with you yesterday, but I didn't get to the mall until very late.
Email privacy? Dream on.
"Your privacy" isn't far off. A comedian/actor named Maz (born in Iran, raised in the U.S.) lost his Hotmail account for joking with a pal of his via email. The friend, a typical ignorant American, can't tell the difference between Middle Easterners and lumps them all together as "your people" whenever he talks to Maz. The friend also asks stupid questions about world events (like the rise in gas prices) as if the comic has an inside line on things--see this clip for what the friend is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jifTmG9drjE. One day, he emailed Maz after reading some world events and asked, "What's the word on the street?" Maz casuallly replied with something along the lines of, "yea, it all goes down tomorrow at such-and-such a time, ha ha!" And thought nothing of the joke.
But then his email account was shut down. Blew Maz' mind that his account was being monitored to begin with, much less that it could be deleted for this type of email content. Plus, as Maz says, "I wrote 'ha ha!' I wrote 'ha ha!' What kind of a bad guy writes 'ha ha!'?!?"
"Nothing is safe" is the common mantra. But was anything ever really "safe"? Computers just make it easier to track people these days, but in the past, one good home raid (legal, by a detective, or maybe something masked as a home invasion) opened up your private world to someone else; the CIA was pretty damned busy, after all. Are we really delusional enough to think that even the most insignificant thing in our lives is truly a secret? Crime experts pick out a single fiber and are able to tie you to a crime with it. We think we own our own homes; governments can decide to build a highway where you live and flatten entire neighborhoods for that purpose. There's an outcry over a DNA database, but all you need to do is drop a used napkin into a public garbage can and someone has your genetics legally. If someone wants to get you for something, they'll find a way. Look at McCarthyism.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled paranoia.
The Perfect Double Bill (Salon article by Erik)
www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/the_perfect_double_bill/index.html
Note to Creative D.: As you may know, DWST still being illegally shared
www.emuleday.com/download/94344-dreams-with-sharp-teeth-dvdrip.html
www.rapidsharetang.com/movies/harlanellisondreamswithsharpteethdocu2008dvdripxvid/ --etc.
Same now goes for old Amazing Stories, some with HE material
1957-01 www.movieshare.org/magazines/amazing-stories-1957-01-a/1053423/
1957-03 http://download.f60s.com/forums/t/612991.aspx --etc.
And for HE books, all in one nifty free package
www.taringa.net/posts/ebooks-tutoriales/3012690/Harlan-Ellison---varios-ebooks.html
Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk #1 Review - http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/106/1066565p1.html
"It will be fans of Harlan Ellison's classic "Hulk: Heart of the Atom" storyline that will find this story most appealing."
Curse of the Full Moon: A Werewolf Anthology (May 1, 2010) (Incl. undisclosed HE story.)
www.amazon.com/Curse-Full-Moon-Werewolf-Anthology/dp/1569757887
Are All Belong Us
There's a fiberoptic cable that comes ashore on the Central California coast. That cable carries nearly all of the email and data internet traffic between the United States and the East Asia/Pacific regions.
That cable runs north to a San Francisco Bay area building which houses a switching center for a telecommunications megacompany. In the room where that cable enters the building, there is a signal splitter. From that splitter one cable runs to the telecomm companiy switches and routers.
The second cable runs upstairs to a small room. That room routes the traffic to NSA computers. All of it.
There are presumably similar cables, splitters ad routers for the other data entry points into the United States.
NSA supercomnputers search for key words, names, and phrases in the data stream.
Your Google accounts are small beer in this game. You want internet privacy? Don't use email.
Like someone we all know.
The above all came from a NOVA episode called IIRC "The Puzzle Palace". Not exactly Top Secret stuff, in other words.
Be careful out there.
First, Steve Barber,
Have a safe and pleasant trip.
The Republicans reportedly proposed over 300 amendments to the Healthcare Bill, but they were summarily dismissed. Among those proposals; allowing insurers to sell policies across state lines, barring insurers from excluding people with pre-existing conditions, expanding the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and allowing small businesses form associations to purchase health insurance. The Republicans suggested the government address fraud and waste in Medicaid and in the Medicare government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled and recommended incentives for employers to institute wellness programs.
One of the most important suggestions offered by the Republicans was changing medical liability laws to limit non-economic damages and setting a cap $250,000. The Congressional Budget Office said this provision alone could save the federal government $54 billion over 10 years.
For a clear vision of the colossal fuckup that is Government intervention in medicine… check out the iPledge program. I don’t know if it was enacted under the Republicans when W. was in there or if it was the Democrats-- but it’s bullshit and it is representative of what you get when you put the government in the doctor‘s office.
iPledge is the government's response to the potential of the drug Accutane ( for acne) to cause severe birth defects if taken while pregnant. "iPledge" basically chokes a physician and a patient with rules regulations and expensive, unnecessary tests…. every month. It requires the patient go to the doctor EVERY MONTH to get a prescription ( only one month supply is allowed).. this is a huge cost to the patient. iPledge also requres continuing education with the patient having to go online or on a telephone automated system ( don’t we all love those) and answer questions EVERY MONTH. The patient also has to agree to remain on two forms of birth control and take pregnancy tests every month. The doctor also has to fill out paperwork on every single step of the process.
The pharmacist is also on the rack for this-- having to fill out paperwork and make sure the patient is only getting the drug on certain dates… if any step is missed during that process during the month the patient has to wait another 23 days to start the process all over again-- falling behind on the therapy in the meantime. Oh, and get this-- because it exemplifies the our government ‘s infinite wisdom-- they even forced males and females past childbearing age participate in the iPledge program to prevent them from getting pregnant.
Okay, so eventually they figured out this was asinine, but it shows you how they think… or not.
The whole thing should be out of the realm of government.. it should be the up to the physician to determine which patients are suitable to use the drug and how best to protect the patient while providing the medication needed. Doctors know how to handle this--they went to medical school. Bureaucrats don’t even play doctors on TV.
But the feds are involved and that means everything has to be done their way-- which takes a great deal of time and increases costs to the patient exponentially.
Now for the current proposed healthcare bill.
It should be unacceptable to everyone to consider a reduction in quality of care. The idea of losing the standard of care that we have in America is egregious-- no matter how you frame it. We need to maintain quality of care, while extending that care to everyone.
My Cindy Jones plan for Healthcare Reform is this;
First you change things up so physicians can’t be sued. They can be thrown in jail, fined, relegated to bedpan duty for 50 years-- and their licenses can be revoked forever in a verifiable instance of malpractice. (i.e. the lout OB-GYN who carved his initials on the uterus of a cesarean section patient.)
Doctors aren’t God and sometimes things go awry through no fault of their own. Sometimes they make bad calls--not intentionally but -- human beings are subject to fuck ups.
By criminalizing intentional malpractice rather than litigating honest mistakes in civil court-- you free up physicians from the fear of frivolous lawsuits. This will result in less paperwork and fewer orders for expensive tests that are done solely to protect the doctor from litigation. It will also allow insurance companies to reduce their premiums… because paperwork will be reduced, doctors won’t have to pay exorbitant prices for malpractice insurance--my OB GYN was paying 160,000 a year for malpractice insurance-- he had to pony that up before paying a light bill or rent on the office or a secretary’s salary. Do away with the necessity of malpractice insurance and fees will be reduced. Costs will go down.
My father really likes my Healthcare Plan… he’s been a doctor since 1958. That makes him an expert. He remembers the days when a doctor would take a patient for $5 a month, or eggs, or pies or vegetables. Doctors could negotiate back then-- there wasn’t all this governmental red tape bullshit… or the threat of a legal axe poised above your neck. He’s never been sued… but he’d tell you that a lot of doctors who should have never been have been.
Next, we ask that all new doctors serve in a state run free clinics, (there should be one in every major city in the Nation) at least one day per month. Doctor who serve in the free clinic would be compensated with tax credits for days and hours served. Young doctors would also work off their educational debt in the free clinics.
We should learn from St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital-- how they provide the best care in the world for children who have cancer-- and no one is asked to pay. There is a method there that needs to be explored.
Then there are the no-brainers….everyone should receive a 100% deduction for health insurance and tax free Healtchare savings accounts. Employers should also receive tax benefits and incentives for offering health insurance to their employees.
Insurance companies should offer coverage across state lines.
The current Healthcare Bill is rife with the promise of grants for redundant and unnecessary studies of what works best in doctors offices and in treatment. There is an even greater paperwork requirement implied in that healthcare bill-- and paperwork means money.
I say… leave that to the doctors. Get the bureaucrats out of the medical field-- they are fucking unqualified.
If you have questions about the Healthcare Bill-- please, ask your doctor what he or she thinks. I haven’t
found a single doctor who doesn’t bristle at the mention of it.
Where’s Dr. Landsberg, I’d like to know what he thinks.
Cindy
Ray Carlson,
Thank you.
:)
Cindy
Hey it WAS a great game!
Love the Saints,
Cindy
brian phillips link on health care
first, to repeat the link, and offer mr. phillips my appreciation of same
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391
second, a few statisics the program offered that changed my view of the health insurance industrie's role in the situation
approximated profits and ratings:
merc pharmaceuticals & microsoft, around 30%
some profit rankings:
34th...health care providers
35th...health insurance providers, at 3-5% profit
i always enjoy ira glass' work, and i look forward to the next addition of this show's topic.
thanks mr. phillips, and all.
An odd juxtaposition from "The Bro Bible"
"Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place." --Ice T. Or, if you're having trouble getting your head around this idea try, "Love ain't nothing but sex misspelled." --Harlan Ellison
http://www.brobible.com/Story/97745
Please Contact Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Just say NO to the NSA!
This is terrifying and has long-reaching ramifications for all of us here is cyberspace. Frank, you and I have had our differences, but I think we are on the same page here.
When I was at Bryn Mawr studying Russian, the NSA recruited heavily from the department. Of those students who accepted job offers there, the standing joke was that the acronym stood for "No Such Agency". They operate without even having to submit a budget to Congress, because to do so would compromise national security.
Now, the National Security Agency wants access to YOUR Google accounts. And they're doing everything to try to get it.
The Washington Post reported that Google -- the world’s largest search engine company is negotiating an information-sharing agreement with the National Security Agency (NSA) -- the world’s largest network for routine, mass communications surveillance.
Source text:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020401713.html
"The Silicon Valley-based firm said the cyberattacks targeted Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists and an investigation found at least 20 other large companies had been targeted by cyberattacks.
China responded several days later with a defense of its state control of the Internet. A top official said online pornography, fraud and rumors were a menace and that Internet media must help "guide public opinion" in China.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said on Tuesday the cyberattacks against Google were a wake-up call.
A partnership between the Internet search giant and the NSA touches on the sensitive issue of how to balance individual privacy and national security online.
Google approached the NSA in the aftermath of the attacks, but reaching an agreement has taken weeks because of the sensitive nature of information-sharing between the two sides, the Post quoted its sources as saying.
The focus of the cooperative venture would not be to determine who was behind the attacks, the newspaper added, citing its sources. That would be nearly impossible.
Instead the aim is to build a better defense of Google's networks, or what technicians call "information assurances," the newspaper quoted the sources as saying."
The NSA is part of the military, and its primary mission is spying. How can we trust that it will fix any security holes that it discovers, rather than make use of them to secretly spy on our communications -- especially given the agency’s record in the past 8 years of carrying out unconstitutional warrantless domestic wiretapping?
The ramifications of companies like Google working with the NSA are frightening. Please join me in taking action today by sending a letter to Google. Tell Google that you object to such a deal and value your privacy online.
http://action.aclu.org/nsagoogle
Thank you for reading through such a long post,
Gwyn
"Rabbit Hole" Back Issues
Susan,
Starting with issues 2-4 and 6-12, I would like to begin ordering past issues of “Rabbit Hole” -- maybe 10 at a time. I believe they are $2.50 each. I just want to confirm they are available and how much I should include for postage.
Thanks very much for your attention. The latest issue is really great.
Best regards,
Lou V.
Bang Theory - another chance
THE BIG BANG THEORY has been, lets say, a little off this year. I think the first two seasons had better story lines. For a good example check out the one where they bought the original TIME MACHINE off Ebay.
Brian Siano
Where HAVE you been getting your cheesesteaks ? Oh,and don't leave Philly without a trip to Rangoon on 9th street in Chinatown and trying the ginger salad and the 1,000 layer bread.
Barber, ignore Siano's comment. He was obviously raised by one of the packs of wolves that can be found roaming around the moors of Philadellphia (OK, no real moors in Philly but Kensington is pretty gloomy area...) and has no taste. Go to Geno's, order a steak the proper way, and taste perfection
On the Big Bang Theory, I was told by some of my friends how great the show was and I watched an episode or two this year, with the expectation that I would like it. It just did not work for me, perhaps because I know and associate with some people similar to characters on the show. Just curious am I in the minority on this one, and should I give the program another chance?
Mark
Old Friends
Unk --
I dunno if you've maintained a connection with Hank (Now Jean Marie) Stine; I lost track of him/her some years ago, but if you can do pictures on your hamster-wheel computer, you can see the connection with Season of the Witch ...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KcFkeN0I6po/Sl5zsEvNXsI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/A0zsCIHLVSI/s1600-h/Hank:Jean+copy.jpg
Perry
Oh, God, my head.
I heard the tea party people are flocking to read Rules for Radicals. You may all think that is odd, but remember that Glenn Beck instructed them to read it. Why? They want to know how the crazy left thinks so that they can undermine their power in the culture, but imitate Alinsky's style of rabblerousing, but in a right wing bent.
Alinsky would get a huge laugh out of this. The rest of us should learn and get agitated.
Strange bedfellows indeed. Be afraid.
-------------
Barber, you be good now.
To Steve Barber: Dunno if I'm the only one to say "Welcome to Philadelphia," but here ya go. (Word of caution: cheesesteaks suck.)
Meeting in Philly, Part One:
So. I land in Dallas yesterday and got a call from American Airlines. Without even getting to Philadelphia, they say, I've been snowed in.
Time keeps on slipping...slipping...slipping...into the future.
____________________________________
Harlan on THE BIG BANG THEORY would be a hoot. Do we get to vote here somewhere? Somebody get someone on the phone...
____________________________________
Meeting in Philly, Part Two:
The email said 12N. Sharp. Roughly ten people, including a senior VP, are to run through this afternoon's customer presentation.
Note the fact that at 12N plus five minutes, I'm checking Webderland and posting. I'm quite alone, even though this IS the correct conf room.
"Luke, I have a bad feeling about this..."
______________________________________
Meeting in Philly, Part Three:
I have never before been to Valley Forge. Me and the Nikon made a small side trip to shoot the area, caked in snow, much as it must have looked in that sacrificial long-ago little ice-age winter that is such a vital part of our history.
I shot some cabins, a statue and a far away glimpse of Washington's headquarters. And offered up a moment of silence for the two thousand men who never fought in those fields, but died there nonetheless.
The heater in my rental car is quite toasty.
Harlan on THE BIG BANG THEORY
I can think of any number of reasons why Harlan on THE BIG BANG THEORY would likely be comic gold, and any number of reasons why it would probably be a bad idea.
I'll have to be satisfied with my personal experiences, at various conventions, seeing Harlan Vs. The Boys of BIG BANG THEORY Live. If you know what I mean.
(I was a little startled by Sheldon's deep loathing of BABYLON 5, which seemed to come out of nowhere given his love of stuff like FIREFLY, but then realized: he's a guy who sees STAR TREK as the pinnacle of western civilization; anything that challenges that crown by playing in the same sandbox would be suspect on mere principle. Not a point of view I'm unfamiliar with.)
Prez Rules
Just finished reading "Rules for Radicals" by the other, greater, Chicago community organizer, Saul Alinsky. It's a real eye opener.
I wonder if Unca Harlan ever crossed paths with Saul during his stay in the "city of big shoulders"?
The Big Bang Theory
On this week's episode of THE BIG BANG THEORY they had a mention of Babylon 5. I keep thinking it would be great to see Harlan show up on Big Bang and address the most stupid Trekkie questions he's ever been asked. It's just a thought.
Note to Harlan Ellison. Joe Monk? Also, a link to a good story.
Josh Alan Friedman's blog has many nice entries, however, I would like to make note of this entry about Joe Monk:
http://joshalanfriedman.blogspot.com/2010/01/joe-monk.html
Knowing full well that I cannot try to stump our esteemed host about Jazz, I am highlighting this entry to say that if you were a fan of Monk's playing, the only released recording of his work is now available, if you don't already own it.
End of the note to Harlan Ellison.
END--END--END
For those who would like to hear a good story about how broken USA's health care is, I encourage you all to listen to "This American Life". The episode is entitled "More is Less" and it is a story that does not take sides but it does rather nicely state just how deep the problem is. Right-Wing, Left-Wing, everyone should listen to this.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391
Brian Phillips
Wyatt's post about Josh Alan Friedman
Wyatt -
Thanks for the heads up on Josh Alan Friedman's blog posts about men's adventure magazines. While exploring his blog I saw the promo for his new book, Black Cracker, which sounds interesting -- and discovered that Josh is also an excellent guitar player and singer, which I did not know. After seeing the video clips on his blog, I found some of his albums on Amazon and more videos on YouTube. He's damn good! Thanks again and best regards...
- SubtropicBob
"The only folks on the moon in 1968 were Roky Erickson and Syd Barrett."
You forgot Alice Kramden.
REPLY TO RICK WYATT
Re: the note you forwarded from my old compadre, Bob Nissim...lo these last 35+ years...until a couple of months ago, when he retired from the exhausting but rewarding gig, as head of The Musical Heritage Society and The Jazz Heritage Club.
So, yes, you done good forwarding it.
Thank, mijo.
As always, Yr. Pal, Harlan
Harrison Bergeron...2081
I just had the pleasure of watching a short film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron entitled 2081.
It is superb.
This films perfect 25 minutes was so potent it literally choked me up and brought a tear to my eye.
I ordered the DVD from Amazon on a whim and boy am I glad I did.
The director, Chandler Tuttle, is someone who's next film I will be anxiously awaiting.
Health Care
Mark G: very well said. The health care system is NOT working for the majority of the population and has not BEEN working for quite some time. The pre-existing condition clause in particular is a sign of the loss of America's soul. Birth defects, accidents and illness aren't exactly planned events; they just happen, and to be denied medical coverage because of something that was out of your control is downright heinous.
-----------------------------
A little personal note, here. I'd been beating down my car loan for over six years; I've said before how it's taken care of now, but before that happened, I asked a relative (cousin) for help. This individual built his own home, he is a very nice family man with a good life, and I've never bothered him for anything before... so I wondered if he could help me out for at least one month's worth of car loan payments ($223). He said "no," because he's got family tuition issues to worry about right now, with his daughter heading off to college this year.
To be clear, I don't have the slightest bit of resentment or bitterness for him saying "no." He has his life and priorities to worry about, after all. It was painful and humbling to ask, yet I'm glad that I did and I suppose that the rejection for such an out-of-the-blue question was quite deserved. But looking at his vacation photos online is hard; my car loan for one month would've been what must've been at least the cost of dinner, gambling and the hotel room for one night in Sin City.
You all here have shown me more consideration and kindness than family members (outside of my mother and father) have, and bless ya for it. Your collective help in its various forms has kept me fighting here in L.A., and goddamn it, you're more family than I deserve.
STEVE (and anyone else in the Philly area): if you get a chance, come out and see me in Sephora at the King of Prussia mall tomorrow. I work from 11 - 7 - which means I get home JUST in front of the snow, hurrah.
Susan, issue 49 arrived late last week, my apologies for not notifying you earlier. I will be ordering something from HERC within the next few weeks and will make sure my new address is included in the order form
Mr. Barber, have a safe trip to my old stomping grounds in Philly (and if you are not snowed in, definitely try to go to Geno's for a great cheesesteak)
On Barber's post from a couple of days ago, I also would like to see a third party form out of the ashes of the current system, one with a sense of social responsibility yet linked to economic pragmatism. Sadly, I am not sure it is a likely outcome. While the players have changed over time, this has been and probably will continue to be a two party system. With the current economic structure, I just do not see much room for a viable third party to do more than play a spoiler role in key elections. One prediction I will make is that there may be more of a splintering of the Republican party as the relgious right becomes disenchanted with the lack of attention to their issues. I do not foresee them splitting off (although that is a possibility) but rather withdrawing from the political scene, which would have a tremendously negative effect on the Republican party's chances in any non-Southern political contest.
On the Republican party, I may have linked to this before and if I have, I apologize, but this is from Nate Silver's 538.com:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/02/mcgop-virtues-and-vices-of-sameness.html
This survey shows how there is a fundamental similarity across demographic groups within the Republican party. Barber's assertion of greater spectrum of opinions within the Dem brand ain't hyperbole, it is a fact.
Now, as to Kate's comment about how we will pay for nationalized health care. I could cite stats like this from CNN:
"In the United States, every person spends on average $6,714 for health care. That's significantly higher than in the United Kingdom, where $2,760 per person is spent; or in France, where the cost is $3,449 per person; or in Canada, where medical costs are $3,678 per person, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. While some would argue that medical care is better in the United States than in these other countries, others would say the opposite is true. For example, the United States ranks 50th in life expectancy, and 180th infant mortality (meaning 179 countries have higher infant mortality rates such as Angola and Turkey and 43 countries have lower infant mortality rates such as France and Sweden)"
or link to this article from the LA Times about nationalized health care saving money for people and boosting jobs:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-health-jobs8-2010jan08,0,1333736.story
but here is the simple truth: our health care system is not working. It works mostly for the middle class and above (except if you have a pre-existing condition) but if you don't have a job, are at a small employer, or do not have much to get by you are pretty much screwed.
I do not pretend to have all the answers on this, as this is one of the most complex issues we are dealing with as a nation. However, it massively pisses me off when people make blanket statements and are dismissive without giving a thought to others. Harlan has said it best before (and if I misremember the quote please do not disembowel me) "you do not have a right to your opinion. You have a right to an informed opinion".
Rant done.
Mark
That would be "had lost". Sorry for the typo.
It was a very tough weekend. I learned Thursday night my cousin Duane's daughter Jessica and lost her husband Josiah to lung cancer. He was diagnosed Easter of last yeat and it had already spread through his lungs so far it was not treatable. He did not live even a year since that time and it was a very tough time for the family to balance trying to help him and also their two young babies,of which their daughter Ava was a miracle baby. She was born premature with many health problems and they thought they were losing her a number of times during her stay at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. They lived in Saylorville between Des Moines and Ames and many times when they thought they were losing Ava, Josiah would make the two hour drive to the hospital to be with her and then back the two hours to work the next morning. There were at least six hundred people at the funeral at Saylorville Baptist to say goodbye to him for now but we have the assurance we will see him again in Heaven.
We are in the midst of another snowstorm today, six to ten inches this time, incredible. I will be so happy to see Spring this year. To all of you, especially Harlan and Susan, take care.
HERC STUFF
Mike Jacka - Received your renewal. Thank you.
Mark Goldberg - Will need your new address. And will send a replacement. No worries.
Jeff R. - Back Issues: We did go back pretty but, after losing the templates, it will be on a request basis. Rabbit Hole #1 and #5 are out-of-print. If you join: ask, I'll do my best. If you're going to join, do it before next issue.
RH #50--don't know what, but it will be cool.
Alisha - Thank you for your kind words.
All best--Susan
Another passing.
Kage Baker, a wonderful writer, friend, and all around good person passed away a week ago after a year long fight with cancer.
I won't go into the details of that fight. I will say that she was one of the smartest, funny, and overall sharp persons I knew. It was natural for her to turn to writing after telling so many stories, and developing characters that she would put into play at RenFaires, Dickens Fairs, and other places where she and her closest friend Kathleen invested their time.
All of Kag can be found in her series about "The Company" concerning a number of immortals, employed to bring precious, rare items from the past to the future. They contain all her interests, humor, and talents. The historical background dead on, the smallest details always right, but it is all together by the characters, the immortals who pass through time,and remain in many ways more human and subject to foibles then the "mortals" they work with and serve.
If you are seeking out something to read, you would not be disappointed in finding something by William Tenn, and you will be equally pleased by something by Kage Baker. Turning a page and reading their words is the best tribute we can give them
Kate, dear Kate, we already pay for healthcare. Do you have insurance? What if something happens to you? You will get a bill, trust me.
There are the back end costs. We subsidize corn growers; they have loads of corn they cannot sell. It is used as scrap feed to feed pigs and bulls, lowering the costs of meat but making the quality of the meat poor. Pop makers got rid of sugar and now use high fructose corn syrup in their awful concoctions. They do this to lower their costs, but pop rates get higher. That sweetener not only changes the taste of the drink (shows how much these corporations care about their brand names quality index), it raises levels of type-2 diabetes, that hits children and makes us all fatter.
Our taxes pay the costs. We will pay, one way or another.
I do agree that mandates are bad. People shouldn't be forced to buy insurance, but they should pay for other people. It's called the commons.
-------------
Sainttttssss!
Now about that onside kick! That amazing two point conversion catch, that--wow!
Saintssss.
RIP Philip Klass
~sigh~
Saints, 'Dat's Who
So, I carry in my pocket a small pewter oval, one side fleur de lis, and the other side says "Believe." I'm a little happy today, and my son (Saints and LSU fan since he could talk) wore his Saints jersey and jacket to school this morning. Grew up in South Louisiana, and never lost the faith.
Kate, in 2008, the US spent more on defense than China, France, Russia and the UK -- PLUS THE NEXT 10 COUNTRIES COMBINED!!!
For those of you scoring at home, the US spends about 41% of the WORLD'S budget on defense. Politicians talk about waste in other gov't programs, almost never about the wastage in the DOD. I think we could go a long way to paying for a reasonable health care plan if we went there.
Also, the gov't spends a great deal on health care RIGHT NOW. With a more efficient system (doing things like spending money on preventive care, checkups, etc.), we'd actually save money vs. the CBO's projected increase in government spending on health care in the next 10 years.
Be kind to each other.
Explain to me how we are going to afford the health care system that so many of you are advocating? I just cannot fathom how we can pay for this. I don't believe that the uber rich will shoulder the burden. It will again fall on the already overburdened shoulders of working men and women who do not have the means to afford fancy tax accountants and lawyers to help them hide their money. That is the way these things always work. Well, lunch time is over and it's back to work for me so that Uncle Sam can take yet another bite out of my ever diminishing paycheck.
William Tenn
I started reading SF because of...dinosaurs. If there was one on the cover there I was-Verne, Doyle, Taine, Burroughs. But then came Bradbury who led me to Sturgeon and I was becoming aware of...something else. (I was 12 or 13 at the time) On the back of some Ballantine Book was a notice of all the Tenn books being released at one time and I was intrigued. Oh my god...it was being exposed to the British Invasion. Tenn led me to Sheckley and Collier and Dick...and Harlan AKA the Beatles. Thank you Phil for Bernie The Faust and On Venus Have We Got A Rabbi and Of Men And Monsters.
First of all, a belated hearty congratulations to Shagin...very cool! Saw the cover...hope there are many more to come with your name on it.
Loved the Superbowl last night...whatta game!
Actually, Ray, it's demonstrably the opposite.
The Dems have had a very hearty, democratic debate on what should and should not be in healthcare. Republicans have stood side, periodically shouting "You're not listeing to me" without even a single step towards participating in the debate. (Change that, the two Maine Senators participated for a time.)
But the Democrats have a spectrum of opinions, and you're denigrating them for not voting in lockstep uniformity. Same on you for insisting everyone in a democracy should have one opinion.
Yes, the Republicans seem to -- which defies logic as well as history. Are you genuinely insisting that every...single..one of the Republicans all hold exactly the same opinion? Of course not, but that's the way they vote. Not democratic, and certainly far more authoritarian than allowing for legitimate debate on the points. During Bush's administration democracy was forgotten while the Republican majority rammed through equally closed-door legislation by enforcing lock-step unison in their ranks.
Some people find this admirable, I find it unConstitutional and authoritarian.
Democracy doesn't work unless everyone participates and is allowed a dissenting opinion. To insist that the Dems (who are allowing dissent and a vigorous debate) are responsible for the current stalemate is lamentable and exactly what Fox News and the Republican Party want you to believe. That you have bought into it is troubling to me. Why is it democracy is bad and should not be allowed to function -- even as dysfunctionally as it should.
A symptom of this is the doubling of filibuster threats and cloture filings in the last three years. Doubling. (And, if you go back before 1992, tripling the historic average.) That's not democracy, it's obstructionism.
However: I hope I am being non-partisan enough to agree that I don't like the closed doors politicking, and even moreso to wish they HAD voted in lock-step -- the work would be done by now. Voting lock-step would be a terrific way to beat consensus into people and to have given us healthcare even without a single Republican non-participatory/non-filibustered vote.
But it wouldn't be democracy.
___________________________________
Philadelphia here I come. I just changed my hotel to be a little closer to the airport come Wednesday morning. I may be staying a few extra days if the weather reports are right...
*sigh*
Say, What?
Steve Barber:
"Health Care reform, which now looks to be dead because of Republican intransigence". That statement is simply preposterous, my friend.
Let’s review… The Dems own the White House and until last Thursday had a super majority in both houses of Congress and yet still couldn’t pass healthcare. What do Republicans have to do with it? Republicans were not needed.
“Authoritarian Gridlock” and “political constipation” resides within the Dems themselves.
Cindy: You said it all, and much more concisely and eloquently than I.
Phil Klass RIP
We have lost Phil Klass, who wrote sf under the name William Tenn.
Josh Alan Friedman on Men's Adventure Magazines
Been more of a lurker than a poster lately, but this I wanted to share.
In happy synchronicity with the recent post by Subtropic Bob regarding his excavations of some of Our Esteemed Host's work in the arena, the never-less-than-wonderful Josh Alan Friedman shares reminiscences on the heyday of "men's adventure" magazines, with particular emphasis on those that thrived under the stewardship of his notable pop, Bruce Jay Friedman.
"Magazine Management" - Part 1 of a series - begins here:
www.BlackCrackerOnline.com
...With more to follow weekly as Sundays turn to Mondays, PST.
Same address offers no shortage of additional Friedman material deserving of your exploration, seeing as you're in the neighborhood.
Best to all (with *BIG* congratulations to Sandra!),
Wyatt
Angels are selling slushies in Hell!
The Saints won!!!
My kid could care less! Where did I go wrong?
That's it! I'm slashing his tires and cutting his allowance! I ran out like a loon and bought the championship gear right after the game!
He said...."duh....t'anks, I guess"
OY!!!
Great game!
Lots of egg on analysts faces.
WHO DAT!!
Preceding line to Harlan Ellison post
Daffy Duck: Anyone for Tennis?
?
Was there some kind of game?
WHAT...a TRADE-OFF!!
I thought Manning was going to take it all the way. But that's what makes a great game!
Nice game.
Abe Vigoda died years ago. He's a zombie these days. Contrary to popular beliefs (fostered by Night of the Living Dead) he does not dine on human flesh. Hell, he might not even know he's a zombie just yet.
Some of the symptoms are:
1. Some stiffness in the joints
2. Shortness of breath
3. A faint rotting smell
4. Body parts falling off
5. Occasional Drowsiness
If you start experiencing these symptoms, contact your physician as soon as possible. Early detection can lead to effective treatment, or at least a good deal on air fresheners.
This has been a public service announcement.
GO SAINTS!!!!
Woohoo!
News From The Super Bowl
Abe Vigoda still lives...
Greg....
Your below might be my favorite "Deco" post ever.
Back to the shadows,
Erik Nelson
Dystopia on the Half-Shell
All this time I thought Sagan died from some form of leukemia, but I'll accept the Reagan verdict. The only folks on the moon in 1968 were Roky Erickson and Syd Barrett.
Carl Sagan was very much of the John F. Kennedy Cape Canaveral era, like all the people wearing bell-bottoms on his TV series Cosmos...But Ronald Reagan won and he gradually lost visibility, dying at an early age...None of the subsequent space missions were as exciting as the 1968 moon landing. And never can be again....It’s the Entropy Law....
and...I signed my own name wrong
duh. I think I'm at 63.
-Keith (like atheist, or weird)
Mmmm, guns and butter.
First, Judy, thank you. Very flattering.
Second, David, you know, that may have something to do with it. I hadn’t considered that option. I was thinking it had more to do with corporate media control and gullibility, and was going to bring up the obvious point that the average intelligence quotient of the human population is 100, which means approximately half the people are below that mark. I would then extrapolate from there. But maybe that is too simplistic.
The fault may lie in the very nature of our political system. The biggest fault of Democracy as a form of government (and I’m not suggesting there is a better form of government), is there is a propensity for governing by referendum, basically putting unpopular or misunderstood issues to a popular vote instead of relying on our elected officials to do their jobs, i.e. gather all of the facts and then vote their consciences. Few elected officials want to be voted out of power by their constituents, whose opinions can be as easily swayed by special interests as Ulysses’ men were swayed by the songs of the sirens. Term limits for politicians would help us all by removing the temptation for them to horde and amass power, so they can make the decisions they need to make without worrying about popular opinion. Does an average dairy farmer in Wisconsin understand the intricacies of NAFTA or Cap and Trade? Can a man truly understand the abortion issue? Will a poultry farmer on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, and his hundreds of employees, vote for local politicians who support restrictions on pollutants entering the water supply? Will the crabbers on Tilghman island support laws to protect blue crabs from overfishing?
Sometimes, it is hard to see the big picture through our own prism of perception.
-Ketih
Yea, Cindy, Imagine a world with no Harlan. That secondary care, those doctor calls, very important. One of the main reasons African Americans are dying younger than us crackers.
You cannot get a check up in the emergency room.
Also, those emergency room visits raise the insurance rates up for everybody. We all pay in the end queen of Texas.
Every time a homeless person passes out on the concrete, that's over a thousand bucks for the taxi ride alone.
You pay the costs in raised premiums.
Single Payer is a right!
-------------
Steve Barber, Abe Lincoln was against wage slavery. I know you knew that, but wanted to refresh that addled mind. What we now call moderates are actually right wingers in disguise. They still call Lieberman a liberal.
The debate, if there is one, has gone way to the right, especially after the age of Reaganism, which was a disease not an ideal. The left are now the mainstream. The rest of you are the crazies. We reflect the enlightenment. So there.
Everything is ideology. What you like for dinner is ideology. Our music taste is ideology. The only ideology that matters is what reflects the Classical liberal tradition. May God have mercy on our souls.
Burp.
--------------
Harlan, you are cute but you are not as cute as a baby monkey. Baby monkey is a special class of cute. I on the other hand look like a lizard on a hot rock..
Ah,,,baby monkey. Look at him eat his banana...awwwwww.
Doctor Gaiman
Neil finally confirms that he will be writing an episode for Matt Smith's second season as Doctor Who:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=exclusive_neil_gaiman_confirms_doctor
guns and butter
Keith wrote:
"No social program that helps children, the elderly, and common men and women is going to be free. No war is going to be free. If we can go into debt for one, why not the other? If we can't afford one, why can we afford the other?"
I'll take this one.
It's because wars are macho and sexy. They make good news copy, and, of late, cool video footage. In fact, they manipulate our motions in much the same way as the summer blockbuster movies that so many of us are used to seeing come around every year.
Helping children, the elderly, and common men and women is boring. It never ends. It evokes emotions that are complex, pesky, and often suffused with an irritating spice of guilt. It's more like those art-house movies that often leave you with mixed emotions or downright depressed, and therefore don't score big at the box office.
Heavens, it's like being actively Christian.
And who wants that?
DTS, a friend of mine is travelling your east coast; she's in Byron Bay now on her way to Sydney and having a good time.
Not disagreeing with you about America, but I fail to see how Australians are more grown up. Until a short while ago, Australia was every bit as irresponsible as them where greenhouse gas emissions were concerned and it was part of the coalition of the willing too.
--
HARLAN. Spanish review of IHNMAIMS game http://tinyurl.com/yho5ky5
Italian review of BOY/DOG http://tinyurl.com/yevcazj
Spanish writer Roberto Malo influenced by HE http://tinyurl.com/y9yz3y8 (Boy/Dog is mentioned in his "Maldita novela". And here is his blog: http://robertomalo.blogspot.com/)
Mefisto in Onyx on the radio here again, Feb 18th, 23:00 on 1Live with is a popular mainstream music channel in my region and part of WDR, which produces such adaptations.
www.hoerspielkrimi.de/programm0210.htm
No one (or word) gets out alive...
Man: almost completed a whole post without a typo (so dipshits like "WC" can't snark). Make that government -- governamount, typed in the note to Barber, is actually something used to regulate the speed of one's horse in Baja Oklahoma (ask Cindy).
-DTS
Last words about politics, & notes 2 Shagin & Josh Olson & Cindy
ALL: No doubt to the displeasure of dips like "World Class," my subject line _doesn't_ mean I'm kicking the bucket. Just throwing in the towel. On discusssions (with _any_one in the USA) about healthcare, violence, religion, etc. But I wanted to make note of a couple of things before fading into the woodwork. Harlan's last post: he testified that he used private (secondary) _and_ public (primary) healthcare. From what I can discern, _that_ is the system which most people live by here in Australia -- and it has worked, and continues to work, just fine. It is a system also used in Canada, England and France.
No system is perfect, and certainly no government is perfect (which is why when people start dragging the "big government" argument into the discussion, it becomes a waste of time) (And trying to point out to such people in the USA that they have no problem with government with it comes to firemen, policemen, the National guard -- during a state crisis -- etc., etc., is also futile). No system is perfect, so therefore none of the healthcare systems which exist in _every major industrialised nation other than the USA_ aren't perfect. But unless you're Conan the Barbarian and don't give a fig about anyone else, an imperfect health system (which can be retooled and recalibrated as needed) is preferable to absolutely nothing. Which, until you're 65, is what we have in the USA: nothing.
And when it comes to "barbaric" attitudes (yes, that was hyperbole) I'm beginning to wonder about the folks back in the good ol' US of A. Strangely, Australia and "America" (AKA, the United States) were founded within only 30 years of each other. One country was founded by puritans, and, to this day, is _still_ steeped in the supernatural (and often backward) beliefs of a major religions (one in particular). The other country was founded largely as a penal colony, but has a general population which (thus far, in my experience), is _still_ more civilized and more inclined to view things through a scientific light rather than through the glasses fashioned by religious organizations formed over 1000 or 2000 years ago. One country is overflowing with guns; the other wisely did its best to get rid of most of theirs, and keep some controls on any future spread of ordinance (People do, indeed, kill people: and as headlines prove everyday in the USA, guns help just a whole lot). One country developed healthcare not long after their nation was formed. The other let big business and other self-interested groups scare the populace out of such a smart and "humane" move.
I could go on, but I think it'd be a waste of time.
BARBER: If you'd have asked me a year ago, I wouldn't have said this, but: you're tilting at windmills. The USA is a country that _still_ hasn't grown up. The general populace react to the use of fear like five-year-olds worried about what's under the bed. The majority of _adults_ STILL believe in fairy tales (they call it religion, but a rose by any other name...). They sanction more violence in films while screaming about treatments of sexuality and sensuality (because that stuff might corrupt young minds). The spread of urban culture (call it rap culture, call it white trash/ghetto lifestyle, whatever) is prized over good old-fashioned courtesy and civility. Altruism of the sort that drove (in part) politicians who became national leaders -- like Lincoln and FDR and (in their later years) even JFK and RFK -- doesn't seem to be enough to staunch the flow of the many corrupt, selfish and (sadly) ignorant people who hold public office in the US these days. From what I can see: unless there is a huge turnaround in the thinking and behavior of the general population, the corporations, cult groups and lobbyists have won the battle, folks. The fictional Gordon Gekko seems to have been right: in the minds of too many, "greed" (whether it be the sort that drives CEOs of large national companies, or the sort that drives the neighbor down the street to say, "Fuck, national healthcare -- I got mine, so screw the rest") is good. Looking from the outside in, the USA seems to have become the land of the fearful, home of the willfully ignorant. And if it continues on this downhill path (begun, I believe, back in the 50s, and really revved up in the Reagan 80s), I think the US is gonna wind up a cross between one of those "third world" nations "Amurricans" like to joke about (where religion is an inseparable part of the governamount) and...the USSR. There may be a bit of hyperbole in that last statment as well...but not much.
Hope I'm wrong. Time will tell. In any case, good luck with your political experiment.
SHAGIN: I wrote you a private email of congrats, but just in case it got lost (when you started getting all of that spam), I'll chime in late here and say it again: I know you were already selling stories, but since this one seems to be a BIG sale to an even better-paying market, congratulations again. Write on, Shagin, write on!
JOSH OLSON: Just "heard" that you were hired to write a script for a film based on one of Lee Child's novels. If that's so, congrats to you as well.
CINDY: xxoo, to you, too. :)
Cheers to all (except the odious "WC"),
DTS
Barber polls?
Steve:
I've a feeling that the Republicans will not be able to wrest the party from the grip of the reactionary right, and that many disaffected Democrats will be drifting toward Green or other further-left parties. Either that, or something really, really bad is gonna happen in the next coupla years. In either case, I'd be surprised to see you in GOP ranks. You might check Andrew Sullivan's "Daily Dish" blog over at the Atlantic site. I find myself agreeing with him much of the time, and he (a Conservative transplant from England) has decided that he is now "an Arlen Specter Democrat". I wouldn't go that far, myself, but...
Duane..."the party of Lincoln"
While credit is due your own better judgment, I'm always distraught when I hear people identify the modern Republican party with Lincoln. The Republicans ceased being "the Party of Lincoln" in the 1880's, when its policies became the tools of the robber barons.
One of the driving forces was the political power held by the railroads. One example was Leland Stanford, a former governor from California. In the 1880's, he used his political connections to have the state pass laws prohibiting competition for his Central Pacific Railroad. It was a monopoly that brought massive profits to himself and his business partners. (Look how we've come full circle some 124 years later!)
From that time on the Republicans - with the exception of Teddy Roosevelt - rigidly represented the interests of the wealthy.
What was once the Liberal party - defending abolition - became the complete opposite, who, by the early 1960's, opposed Civil Rights.
That's why I part with Steve Barber's faith that most Republicans "get it". By all my observations, Republicans by-and-large never got ANYTHING. And those who DID "get it" were either no longer Republicans or they parted from the parties key policies (the legalization of drugs, for example).
Steve B.,
I think there will be a fourth tier as well, as the Progressive branch of the Democrats find increasing incentive to break from the Corporate Blue Dogs who dominate the party.
However, I tend to disagree with the suggestion that the centrist position is ideal, while you consider one day becoming a Republican! Centrist politics helped the conservatives get the country where it is now. No one demonstrated that better than Bill Clinton, who deregulated powerful industries, and helped pass NAFTA. Clinton helped the Democrats turn into Republicans! Those decisions have really done us in.
I once considered the centrist position a formidable one, but it fails in foresight, because many centrists lack information or empathy to grasp the full weight of an issue.
***Even if the Obama administration DID support a government-run health care system - similar to Medicare "for everyone" - that would be FINE with me!! It would be COMPLETELY "sustainable".
If we all paid collectively a little bit from our paychecks and sales tax all our lives, we would see the safety nets "unemployment insurance" provides; and you're damn glad you GOT it once you NEED it.
I'm meeting a cousin of mine in April - Gilles, who lives in Southern France, and, in fact, is an engineer about to chair a meeting of the China Advisory Committee of DHV - gets government run medical coverage, and he is in remarkably good health. I was discussing with him by email last month. He's in his late 50's.
So, this bullshit demonizing of "government sponsored" medical care is - well, just THAT!
Cindy, the United States health care system is internationally ranked #37. I would hardly call that the "envy" of the world.
Having now caught up with all your sayings&doings for the last week, and loath to get into the current Health Care scrimmage due to my inordinate use the last couple of years of PRIVATE insurance coverage via the Writers Guild (secondary) and GOVERNMENT RUN coverage via Medicare/Medco(primary)...
I tell you truly, I weep for how massively deep and widespread is the American Need to act like either a rabid jackal or an unnamed Most Yokel Hayseed Sucker populist-pawn creature on the planet.
Were it not for the primary AND secondary, you would be talking 'mongst yourselves, without me here to swear uninvolvement with the chatter. Nonetheless, I have stood by the Saints for ten years, and I am pretty much thrilled at their chance tomorrow.
Having now caught up, I recede like the Waters of Nepenthe for the nonce.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
SANDRA SHAGIN ODELL KIDDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Madame:
Pursuant to yr. post of last Wed. inst., & yr. gracious telecon of same, the following:
YOU G'WAN AN' GO! GUHRL!
Yrs. in Prosperity, Harlan Jay Ellison, kvetch-at-law
REPLY TO DAVID CRAIG'S POST LAST TUESDAY
Boy, y'got me on THAT one! Damned if I can remember whatever the hell I thought was "fraudulent" about Stowe's CABIN. Those reviews were written, if I recall rightly, during my most active and dangerous Civil Rights days, and I may have been reflecting the view--in one or the other--the prevailing p.c. attitudes--one way or the other--or BOTH WAYS at the same time--of those with whom I was working, marching, collaborating, breaking the law, doing gawd's goode work...
Hell, kiddo, I have to spread my paws out and away, palms up, with the look of a baby monkey suffusing my embarrassed grin.
I just have no answer for you.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Steve B, I'm right there with you, only in my case I'm coming from the other side. I was a lifelong member of the Party of Lincoln until I got so disgusted with the anti-science, pro-prayer in public schools faction that I went down to the DMV and registered as a Democrat. And if there's a "big tent" anyplace, that's where it resides.
REPLY TO DOC ZOMBIE
Re: your last Monday "gang commentator" suggestion. Really good of you to think on my behalf, and as said, I think long and hard before refusing ANY gig, but this one does, truly, feel like a bit of a stretch. What I did back in the 1950s, that seemed so dangerous, looks more than laughable next to "street gang" doings these days. As a curiosity, yeah, well, maybe; but I wouldn't want you wasting any creds in my behalf on this one, unless they were absolutely awash with saliva at the prospect of a pre-dial-up guy doing an Abe Simpson routine about zip guns.
A very manly Spartacus-type shoulder-bump just for the Good Offices.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
snow
Out there shovelling the 27 ". Does anyone know what sort of birds fly around crying "tekeli-li ! tekeli-li!" ? Huh?
David Loftus,
"It frosts me whenever technocrats of any stripe (I've been dealing with the computer and sound engineering type this week) get stuck in their jargon and can't or won't explain things to a layman in plain English."
I have to plead slightly guilty to that one. I have spent over 25 years as an electronics technician and electrical engineer. A lot of that job involves helping people who come to you and say “this stupid thing doesn’t work”. Sometimes they are correct, something is broken. Usually they have connected something wrong or set some control incorrectly. In these cases I have no problem explaining what was wrong and why. Hopefully if they understand why it happened they will get it right next time. Then there are the times, and believe me they do exist, when the instrument in question was not plugged in and/or turned on. In these cases if the user does not see me apply power I have no problem looking them in the eye and with a straight face explain that I found an open in their primary AC circuit (which I did, technically).
To all, especially fans of Elvis Costello,
I have mentioned before that I am a fan of the public radio show A Prairie Home Companion. I listen on weekends, see the show when it comes to town, and next month am going on another cruise with the group. Last Thursday they tried somehing new. A show was broadcast to cinemas all over the country in HD video and sound. They called it live though on the West coast it was actually delayed, like award shows.
The reason I am mentioning it now is they are doing an encore show on Tuesday (2-9). It looks like most of the theaters that did the first show are doing the second one. You can see which theaters are showing it at the PHC website:
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/
If you are not familiar with the show it is basically an old time radio variety show: sketch comedy, musical guests, the house band, jokes, fake commercials, and the weekly monologue “The News from Lake Wobegon”. Elvis Costello was on and in addition to playing his own music Garrison used him extensively in the sketches, which he did very well. Great timing and sense of comedy. Another musical guest, the sisters Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele, did what I can only describe as grabbing Beethoven’s 9th and dragging it through a Southern Baptist revival.
For fans of radio drama it is interesting to see how it is done instead of just hearing the results. The voice actors holding plastic cups to their mouths by the microphone, the sound effects men with the box full of broken glass and a baseball bat, styrofoam plates to be slowly crumpled, the pair of shoes hanging around their neck for footsteps… This group has been doing this for decades and I think it is fascinating to watch.
You can hear audio of the show today or whenever it is regularly broadcast in your area. For locals that is 3 and 6 today and noon tomorrow on KPCC. But if you want to see how it happens go see the show. It will cost you more than a movie, $20 or $22 a ticket, but I recommend it.
A good day to all here, hope none of your houses are sliding.
Keith
I'll really like what you said:
"No social program that helps children, the elderly, and common men and women is going to be free. No war is going to be free. If we can go into debt for one, why not the other? If we can't afford one, why can we afford the other?"
In fact, it's my new sig line for emails.
It's so simple yet so eloquent. And I would challenge anyone to answer those questions.
Sausage Making
Like the subject line, political wrangling is better left out of sight. It has never been a transparent process, nor will it ever be -- it's the art of compromise, and deals get made, quid pro quo gets anted, and the whole idea that the Publick Must Know Everything!--- from which senator is gonna get paid an air base for for his vote, to how Tiger Woods likes his mistresses to behave is, not to put too fine a point on it, bullshit.
You hire a gunslinger because he knows how to shoot. How he aims and pulls the trigger is his job. If you don't like how he does it, fire him. And remember the old saw about the devil you know versus the one you don't.
Unless you have been involved in the political process closer than the evening news or the Sunday paper lays it out, you don't don't really have a clue how the bureaucracy gets business done -- nationally or locally. You might think you do, but you really don't.
This is, as our Esteemed Host phrases it, a failure to achieve an informed opinion. Before you tear off on a righteous rant about them evil politicians, educate yourself.
Perry
New Star Trek Videogame
There is a new Star Trek video game out. But of course, the Guardian of Forever makes an appearance. Check out the video clip at the link:
http://trekmovie.com/2010/02/05/sto-update-gameplay-video-of-guardian-of-forever-doomsday-machine-sto-galaxy-map-more/
Harlan,
I'm not sure if you can comment, but was this included in your settlement vis-à-vis Paramount/CBS?
--Grayson
Follow my Logic
I am about to make a jaw-dropping, coffee-tossing, pupil-dilating prediction here, but follow my logic and you may agree.
I predict that in eight years, possibly sooner, I will become a Republican.
(***Waiting for people to pick themselves up off the floor.***)
Here's why: If it is successful in establishing a true political beachhead, the Tea Party will move the Republicans further to the right. At some point, this breakway group will truly field its own candidates, becoming a right-wing third party.
At the same time, Democrats have given the impression that they cannot legislate themselves out of a paper bag, driving moderate voters away from the Democratic Party, driving it further toward the ideological left.
The remaining core Republicans -- those that have not disaffected to the Tea Party -- will drive towards the center, where they will be met by the disaffected Democrats, myself being one of them.
As a result, we will have a three-party system with the Tea Party on the Right, Democrats on the Left, and Republicans in the center.
Just sayin'.
_______________________________________
Cindy, I hope you didn't take my broadsides at Fox and the Congressional Republicans as shots at you. I have always maintained the most Republicans get it -- but aren't willing to take the steps to silence the extremists. Hence the Tea Party, for instance.
But when it comes to Health Care reform, which now looks to be dead because of Republican intransigence, we are all going to suffer because the government has let us down. Republicans became locked out of the system because they never began the negotiation process. I completely agree that Pelosi and company violated our trust by going behind closed doors -- in exactly the way Cheney took power companies behind closed doors to create the nation's energy policy. Both actions are offensive and borderline treasonous (IMHO).
But to argue that no one had a chance to read the legislation is disingenuous at best. Had Republicans participated, had they not sat on their hands and refused to do anything but say no, had they reached across the aisle and said it was too important a moment to allow to go by, the results would have been dramatically different. Fox News flat out lying -- the repeated "Government Run Healthcare" became first a meme, then a paranoia -- pushed the message out that Dems were on the run.
Were this true, and God I wish it HAD been, we would have had reform a year ago. Seriously.
Doesn't it bother anyone in your party that Republican representatives vote in a bloc? That there's no dissention? That everyone, to the last person, believes in precisely the party line???
Are your interests truly identical to the interests of Republican constituencies in South Carolina, Montana and Orange County California??? No difference whatsoever?
Doesn't it bother you that one senator stops 70 important nominations cold in order to blackmail everyone into giving his state more money? Republicans certainly screamed loudly when Mary Landrieu used a similar tactic for the health bill, but where's the condemnation of Richard Shelby???
And why is Sara Palin giving Rush Limbaugh more of a pass on using the term Retard than she gave Raum Emmanuel? Emmanuel apologized immediately, while Rush told her to go stuff herself.
It's those double standards and hypocrisy that I find inexplicable, and nowhere is it more evident than in the Health Care debate.
And the astounding thing, almost incomprehensible, is that people will believe Fox News when it says it's the Democrat's fault the legislation failed. Nowhere will they mention a year's filibustering -- or threatening to filibuster -- and inaction by the Republican Party.
When one side simply refuses to legislate, refuses to do their job as we the people hired them to do, the entire democracy collapses.
And as the Republicans gleefully dance across the ashes of healthcare reform -- as they will -- they will absolve themselves of any responsibility for the failure.
And more importantly, you and I will still bear the cost of high insurance premiums (if we can afford them) and the costs of the uninsured as they use emergency rooms (which they will) and the death of 45,000 loved ones each and every year.
But at least Fox News gets its talking points.
Good way to ruin a perfectly good country.
I cannot READ from your *** script, either!
Ken Levine is a well-known comedy writer and sports broadcaster. He has his own very entertaining blog and this entry is a very sobering account on how hard it is to be cast in a show.
http://tinyurl.com/ycmhwn6
I usually try to stay out of the back-and-forths (backs-and-forths? Should I conjugate this like "courts-martial"?), however, I spoke to a fellow on Thursday who is Ghanaian by birth, but lived in Windsor in Canada for several years. He now lives in Georgia, but he will not give up his citizenship in Canada. If he falls ill, it is cheaper for him to book a round-trip ticket and get treated than it is for him to stay in this country and do the same.
By contrast, I am by no means wealthy, but I am employed and it would be too expensive for me to pay for insurance out of my own pocket. So, for the past three years, I have been uninsured.
People have complaining that the current administration has been rather lax in clearly explaining health care reform. This link has a four-minute video on it:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health-care
There is a document that summarizes it in a page:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/obama_plan_card.PDF
What may be missing from this is an ad campaign stating same. Had there been TV spots, perhaps, "More Stability and Security" could have been the next "Less Filling, Tastes Great".
Here is an article that, believe it or not, I found because of Ray Carlson. He posted a link to an article, which, in turn, led me to this one. Thank you, Mr. Carlson!
"Obama’s First Year Accomplishments in Review"
http://www.casavaria.com/cafesentido/2010/01/05/5658/2009-examined-obamas-first-year-in-review/
Brian Phillips
The democrats are the less scarier version of the two tiered corporate party. They are bought and paid for.
----------------
Cindy, all the St. Jude hospitals closed down. Now what..lol
--------------
Just go go to google maps. Look at Stockholm, look at Paris, look at London. Look how clean the streets are. There are no Detroits or Gary Indianas in Norway. Do these countries look like backward marxist gulags? Look at Vancouver, holy shit! What a gem.
Ask all those folks would they trade their healthcare for ours?
Jello Biafra toured in Spain. In talking to the people they complained about how dumb they thought most Americans were. Jello explained to them how dopey our media was, which made the public so uninformed. Jello has friends who have to go to Europe to get their teeth fixed because they can't afford it here. My mother and Sister went to Mexico for a full mouth of choppers. Three hundred bucks for a perfect set of new teeth. This would cost thousands here.
3 cents for drugs in Cuba, 3 cents!
Socialism just means human.
--------------
One more time--Barack Obama is not a socialist.
The top three LIBERAL--not socialist, not anarchist, not radical, economists--Dean Baker, Paul Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, all thought Obama didn't have a big enough stimulus. They all hated the bank bailout. Thought it gave too much to the banks. Are these guys marxists? No, they are mainstream liberals. Obama is to the right of them.
Drink your tea goofs.
----------
An odd story in Time magazine about a militia in Maine of all places, where anarchists, right wingers and marxists are all members. They live in cabins with no electricity and no running water.
Christ, call me a sellout, but I need my electric noise.
Health Bill
Thank you, David, for pointing out the obvious. The Government is not trying to run health care.
As far as taxes. It seems Republicans complain about taxes only when they aren't getting their way. Where were the Republican protests when Bush started his $80 billion a year war with Iraq? They were silent. Was that because they didn't believe we were going to have to pay for it? I think not: that assumes all Republicans are mentally deficient, a statistical improbability. Or is because they trusted Bush and the NeoCons to do the right thing? In that case, they seemed to trust the Government. Now that we have a Democrat president, they don't trust government again.
Bush gave us several tax refunds which we as a country could not afford, and then he got us into a war which has, to now, cost upwards of a trillion dollars.
But the Republicans and Tea Baggers are complaining about the debt now, when we are in a position to help a lot of people.
Perfect. It would make me sick if it wasn't for the fact that I appreciate irony, hypocrisy, and morbid social madness.
No social program that helps children, the elderly, and common men and women is going to be free. No war is going to be free. If we can go into debt for one, why not the other? If we can't afford one, why can we afford the other?
Perhaps it is time we discuss seriously the raising of taxes. In the developed world, we pay the least amount in income tax.
The state of Texas has no state income tax, and has the 49th ranked education system in the country? Something like that. Life costs money. Quality of life costs money. War costs money.
"government-run health care"
Cindy:
All your rant suggests to me is that you didn't read Steve Barber's eloquent post on the matter.
The main thing wrong with the current legislation is that it isn't what the Obama administration first set out to do months ago. It's been watered down by compromises and exceptions forced on it by corporate insurance and pharmaceutical and Republican opposition.
If you could understand one thing, it's that if this legislation passes, the government won't be running health care, and it isn't health care that's at the center of it anyway; it's insurance.
60% wasn't my take-- Ian mentioned that figure in passing. I don't know what it is... and it doesn't matter. People are pissed off about the way it is going down as well as what is being shoved down our throats.
People who are angry are disgusted with the method as well as the madness. First, if the Democratic party's goal was really, earnestly to help people--- that is a noble and honorable thing. Why did they go behind closed doors? President Obama said he wanted the CSPAN cameras to be in the room during the process... why didn't Pelosi listen to him? That would have done worlds for the confidence of the people. What we got instead--closed door meetings and bribes to Nebraska and Louisiana-- that we all will have to pay for if it passes. Why did they have to bribe them? I don't know--maybe unfunded mandates?
And how dare they come up with a 2000+page bill and not allow the time for our duly elected representatives to go over it and consider the proposals carefully?
That's not right. If the Republicans did the same thing I would yell "bullshit" just as loudly.
Also, we consider the government's track record-- which is frankly abysmal. Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Highway Trust Fund, Cash for Clunkers-- hell even the Post Office is supposedly on the ropes at this point. Why on earth would we trust the feds with our healthcare?
But the biggest deal breaker of all is this...
The people who oppose this legislation do so-- not because we don't want poor people to have adequate health care. We all want that! We oppose this absurd healthcare bill because we don't want higher taxes, higher insurance premiums, higher health care expenses and most importantly--
we don't want fewer services to be provided or treatments to be less technologically advanced than they are now and could be in the future.
Gentlemen, it's snake oil-- expensive, useless-- worse than doing nothing....snake oil.
Cindy
p.s. It's after midnight so I'll have to wait until Sunday-- but I have a healthcare plan that would work and I'll post it here when it won't constitute a double post.
Frank,
If I were in the situation you describe without insurance, a single mom with a child diagnosed with cancer-- I would go to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. That is the model we need to replicate.
;)
Cindy
Dorman,
xoo
:)
C.
here in the northeast, the great French Toast Conspiracy continues ...
HERC
Susan: I just got the HERC renewal notice, but I've already sent in my renewal - must have crossed in the mail. Thanks. (And yes, you have the correct spelling of my last name - thanks for asking.)
I see the mercury dropping rapidly for the Democrats. Every day, the news just looks bleaker.
The conservatives' relentless control on mass media and millions of clueless American voters, the Supreme Court controlled by Republican appointees, the pointless Obama olive branches Republicans keep using as a weapon, the weak-kneed Blue Dog Democrats, the Progressive branch of the Democratic party vastly outnumbered by politicians aligned with corporate interests, and, now, great model Democrats still emerging from the Blagojevich mold, like this Illinois Lt. Governor, Scott Lee Cohen, who was living with a prostitute (right out of an old-time gangster flick!)...
will all lead to the Democrats ultimately losing the House.
Even if they maintain a slim majority during Obama's term, the powerful money interests will hold the tightest grip we've ever seen. Competition will shrink further, eradicating the small businesses, and with it greater deterioration of the American middle class. That's what I think will happen.
It will be vox populi, sponsored by Corporate America!
I think the Democrats are going to lose it, and when they do...we're going to confront total darkness (which seemed ordained anyway, since the Democrats have been our only resource standing between the People and corporate greed).
Just yesterday I was drawn into a debate with a lady, who argued the illogic of big corporations abusing the consumer because it isn't in the interests of their profits. In other words, she didn't believe they were all THAT corrupt. I had to point out that, one, they are outsourcing jobs overseas, and two, they are extensively controlled by foreign interests. They don't NEED the American consumer as much. Otherwise, the credit industries, the bank industries, the insurance industries, and so on, in the grand tradition of the robber baron, would not manipulate costs and charges like they DO.
THIS is an example of the simplistic views held by SO many who rarely research the facts. They don't understand that this country is no longer in the hands of the People; it is owned by big foreign interests and controlled by the trusts.
And thanks to a few decades of deregulation, scams are still proliferating; I learned of a new one recently, with Vista.com. If you have an account with them - say, as an IP to build your personal website - they tend to charge you multiple times for one site as if you'd built several. If you're not watching, they'll keep adding charges to your credit card. This happened to a friend. She caught it on her statements, and complained to Vista. Vista reversed the charges, and she dropped them. Vista fucks around like this, yet they're doing well! Same with many of these outfits.
I just don't see a positive future here. I just don't see it.
Whovians
Neil Gaiman was charming and erudite and witty as ever last night at UCLA -- he read some shorter work and answered questions.
One question was: Will you ever write an episode of DR. WHO?
Neil simply nodded his head vigorously (to thunderous applause). A match made in heaven, the Doctor and Mr. Gaiman. (Though who wouldn't love to see what our host could do with the Doctor in an episode???? The mind boggles)
Also read that the great actor Bill Nighy is going to do a guest spot on the upcoming season of the new DR. WHO.
Dear Steve: Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. Hope you're doing well.
Lost Member: Frank J. Burris. Need updated address.
Sara: Thanks for the renewal. You'll be fine for a few years now.
--All best-Susan
Hi Sue & Harlan
Kope you are both ok.
Saw this and thought you may be interested;
New 8 part series on BBC Radio 4
"Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature"
Not to much detail at moment but check out at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qj2pf
Will be available on iPlayer but not sure if you can access it in the US, if not I'll record and send to you.
Take Care
Best
Steve
Ray Carlson
Your comment regarding the ultimate end goal of Democrats is about as useful as would be a comment from me that all Republicans want to cut off any kind of aid for poor people and move them to Puerto Rico.
In general, Demonization is a pretty useless way to conduct negotiations. And unfortunately, what you're doing is mirroring the current Congress' political constipation and rhetoric.
Authoritarian Gridlock is no way to run a democracy.
___________________________________________
"World Class" - Nice post. I don't agree with you , but it was written well.
Too bad the Trollishly Anonymous approach you take negates it so completely. You keep referring to "I" as if you're someone we'd respect -- but how would we know? "World Class" is a snarkily arrogant put off for me, and effectively destroys any valid points you make.
This is the thing I've been saying for years, kids. These anonymous posts, even if written well, just nuke themselves when it comes to any kind of respect.
YMMV
__________________________________________
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDI!
Mr. Mayhew, few see my true genius, thanks.
Here's another one for ya:
The art of finance is who gets penciled in and who gets penciled out.
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So you guys are finally admitting that there are things called facts? It's working.
The problem with the "debate" is it thinks the facts are as porous as the lies--like they live in the same space.
2+2 doth equal 4. Tell the wind. Don't let it spit on ya.
HERC Renewal
Susan -
Sent off my renewal for membership #M166 a few days ago. Just got a reminder to renew.
Communications that have passed in the night?
Just checking. Thanks
Mike
commentaries
Steve Barber:
Beautiful job of cutting to the heart of the matter. It frosts me whenever technocrats of any stripe (I've been dealing with the computer and sound engineering type this week) get stuck in their jargon and can't or won't explain things to a layman in plain English. It's so much worse when they outright mislead lay folks into believing things that simply are not true.
You know that's happening when you ask someone who says "Obama's a socialist" or "the government's taking over health care" or "I don't want medical care to be rationed" to explain what they're talking about . . . and they can't. After all, they're just dealing in simple, irreducible facts.
On a somewhat lighter front, today's smackdown relates to a supposed Super Bowl ad for a gay dating service. If you page back via the "Prev" button, you'll see where I say the SB can go suck eggs:
http://www.americancurrents.com/
Happy Birthday to Judi. Sandra, congrats. Rick, you may chuckle over this. It seems automatic notices on the threads I post on in the forums post to my sister Karen's e-mail cause I used to use hers. She asks me yesterday, "who is this Rick Wyatt guy?" Harlan's Webmaster. Why? "He's psychotic. He e-mails you all day and all night, every five minutes, hour after houR." What I say and I look and see the names of the threads I post on in the forums. So I tell Karen it has to be automatic updates from the system, because I used her address first. I reassured her of your sanity Rick, and wde had a good chuckle. Just thought you might find this humorous. Diane
Off-Topic Polls
Obama has not "always opposed single payer". Here's the video to prove it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE
60% of the American people reject what the dems are doing on healthcare. The dems want government run healthcare. That is their ultimate goal. The rest is smoke and mirrors.
Playing catch-up
Happy Birthday, Judi!
Yee-ha, Sandra!
My Oscar pick in a very crowded field, is "Cavalcade".
Which is to say that, even though there are 10 nominees for the Best Picture Academy Award, a point that I think may have been lost is that this was the norm from 1932 to 1944. Granted, there were far more movies being made at the time, but given the technology available, when someone can make a film as cheaply as "Paranormal Activity", I don't think that we will reach a level of film production that we once did (film is no longer the only visual media), but it is possible that more people with less money can make film, without relying on large studios, for better or worse.
Mark my words, "Cavalcade"!
Brian "Criswell" Phillips
Just finished my screen synopsis...
and its about to be mailed out.
Joe
Topical Issues - Apply Liberally
Gays in the military - there have always been gays in the military. Three words: get over it.
Health care - it's the health care issue above all else that keeps me from trying to get back into the military (I've still got another year where I could give it a go), but I genuinely fear losing the free-health-care-for-life status that I now have as a veteran. I can easily imagine the hell of that: re-joining the military because I'm desperate to work, getting out again for whatever reason, and then living the next 40 or 50 years sans medical coverage. No, thanks, I'll pass on that possibility. (Though I do wish that free dental and vision were part of my benefits, too.)
I keep having the horrible temptation to buy "Doctor Who" audio books lately. Fan-type stuff that I'd never pay for in print, but am willing to be suckered into based on the lead actor's talents. Sad, to live a life this shallow...
IF there was something amiss in France?
Since I held DTS in utter contempt long before this latest spew, I regard his "disdain" for those who offer a simple wikipedia summation of the well known fact of the French Blood Scandal as to be expected from such a flawed vessel.
Oh, Dorman, didn't you learn over the course of that "journalistic" career you blow so hard about that the word you sought in vain for was "unimpeachable"?
More to the point, does Journalist Dorman perhaps also hold those who source the BBC in disdain?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/293367.stm
From the BBC article:
begin quote
BBC Correspondent Hugh Schofield: The result was not unexpected
But their colleague, former Health Minister Edmond Herve, has been convicted for his role in the contamination of two people who were given HIV-tainted blood.
The court did not hand down a punishment to Mr Herve. Judge Christian Le Gunehec said that due to the length of the scandal, the former health minister had not benefited from the "presumption of innocence to which he is entitled".
Mr Herve condemned the court's decision and said that he had only done his duty as a minister.
end quote
Also look up the book by Anne-Marie Casteret "L'affaire du sang" ("Blood Scandal").
Ever the petitfogger, DTS failed to even address the point I made, which was not that anything be thrown out. I did not even pose any question of whether or no any particular action should be taken on health reform or care or insurance. I pointed out that the problem is Power, the wielding of power by those who are not responsible to those they affect with that Power, and the need ON EVERY LEVEL of society for checks and balances on all power, to LIMIT the abuse of power. There will be abuse of ANY power. Limiting Power is the ONLY way to limit the abuse thereof. Locking the gate after the horse, if you want a silly aphorism like "Baby And The Bathwater", does not effectively limit the power. Locking the bastards up, shooting the motherfuckers, burning their ashes does NOT solve the problem. That is to say, the hemophilacs of France are still mostly dead. A proper system of decentralized and limited power over their medical care would likely have kept most of them alive. Some of them at the least. Instead of playing "whack-a-mole" with wielders of absolute power abusing their power, instead of indulging in endless versions of various "Truth and Reconciliation" commissions detailing the lonb litany of atrocities inflicted by unrestrained power, why not just limit the bastards ability to do wrong in the first place?
Get The Point?
Thanks muchly for the congratulations. This was my version of crowing about being on the cover. My husband went...crazy. I half expected to see it announced on CNN, or watch a bi-plane sky write the website over the shipyard.
I should never reread my own work. I was ready to toss my computer until Doug reminded me that there had to be merit in the piece elsewise it would not have even be considered. Okay...deep breath...
I've been nose deep in the HORNBOOK these past few days when not dealing with the trials and tribulations of life. The passion, humor, and insight of the essays never fail to serve up gourmet food for thought.
***
WEBDERLANDERS BEWARE: I have received a total of 4 emails in the past two weeks from Paul Hull, Adam-Troy Castro, Chuck Messer, and Steve Barber, all with a blank subject line, all offering low price Viagra. As only one of these individuals are listed in my address book, I can only think that the names were garnered from this site. I don't send out emails without subject lines. Please take care what messages you open.
shagin
OH!! I forgot! Sandra...NICE going!
"I live in a country were people have access to "free" medicine. It is not free. You pay into it from the day you were born."
I doubt anyone on this side of the border assumed "free" medicine would ever actually be FREE.
What is clear is that paying into the system a little at a time all your life - COLLECTIVELY, yet - is a helluva lot better than relying on whether or not you have money in your adult years to pay $120/month, with the added gamble of an insurance company denying coverage while it looks after its profits. (Just the other night I was running Tim Burton's movie, ED WOOD, and the scene where the hospital sends Lugosi on his way to certain death when they learned he had no insurance struck a well-timed chord with me! Doesn't matter if the film exaggerated any facts about Lugosi, as the actor may have survived longer than the movie suggests. That fate befell lotsa people in this country, when the system didn't even offer Medicare!)
Just as we pay a little out of our paychecks for Unemployment Insurance - GRATEFUL that we had once we lose work! - medical coverage is, likewise, a necessary safety net.
It's amazing how blind a society can be to its own insanity, to toss ill people on the street when they have no money. It's pure, cold-blooded insanity!
**William F. Buckley...LOGICAL??
Ever since I saw Buckley debating Carl Sagan (who was by profession AND nature, a logical man) in the 1980's, and much later, on YouTube, viewing his exchange with Gore Vidal in the 1960's, "logical" is a descriptive I could NEVER apply to the guy!
Buckley was a complete dork.
Sandra, I am a ninny.
I finally saw what was on the cover: "The Vessel Never Asks for More Wine" by Sandra Odell.
Definite congratulations on that! And you sure are keeping good company on that publication.
Chuck
Harlequin
I just noticed that the pages of a comic adaptation of "Repent, Harlequin!" by Roy Thomas and Alex Nino appear on this website
http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/2008/08/roy-thomas-and-alex-nino-harlan.html
Also, that the entire text of the original story appears here
http://www.d.umn.edu/~tbacig/cst1010/chs/ellison.html
While I do like this comic artwork, applaud a university prof for teaching Unca's story with his class, and don't consider myself a card-carrying member of Tattle Tails, Inc., I abhor copyright infringement. Are these sanctioned postings of our host's work? I leave for him to decide.
What a winter here in Iowa, we've already received more snow this winter than we have in many, many years. I had taken a couple of days off to go see my father in Iowa City on Monday and Tuesday and a storm arrived Monday afternoon/evening. Driving back to Des Moines Tuesday midmorning there were still twelve cars and trucks in ditches, even one semi. We've got another snowstorm coming tomorrow and the snow is already piled everywhere it can be in my condo parking lot, up to ten feet high and more in some places. I hope Spring will be with us soon, but how do we avoid the floods from the melting snow. What a mess. I hope those of you in warmer places and enjoying your good fortune, but I suppose there are always things that happen wherever you might live. Counting down to Wisconsin in September tp see Harlan and Susan and to the webderlanders present.
I have never had a problem with
the social health care system in Canada. I have always received the best of care the rare times I have had to be hospitalized. I just don't take kindly to hypocrisy. There are too few politicians IMO who, if a truly universal system of health care was implemented in any country would use said system. Same goes for media/movie/millionaires or anybody else who will stand and rah rah the proles and then take full advantage of the private system because they can afford it.
Thank you all for your opinions. It's truly terrific to be on a site where the vitriol is kept to a minimum.
Joe
Healthcare, redux
STEVE: You were more eloquent (and organized) than I (dyspraxia coupled with ADHD is a pain). Great job, Steve.
FRANK: News and views from the "edge" always helps, too. Good onya.
MADDEN & "World Class": Sounds to me like Mr. Madden is saying he _does_ believe in govt. sponsored healthcare, just not every form. And while his anecdote about greedy folks taking money is insightful, I think he would agree that _any_ system run by humans can be corrupted -- and that such knowledge isn't a reason to abandon a good idea. I've been told the healthcare system here is similar to Canada's in make-up. MOST people here use the mains system for preventive healthcare and for things like vaccinations, flu, sports/muscular/orthopedic injuries (the physio care is _much_ better here than in the states), and such. And some more serious injuries are still treated using the countries medicare. In addition, many people buy supplimental insurance, for the sort of instances Madden speaks of: wanting something done now, and going to a private medical practice, or one that _doesn't_ do medicare coverage. Even the excellent doctor we've been seeing under medicare advises that route if you don't feel you can wait (should a waitlist be encountered. To me, that's akin to being sent to a specialist in the USA). But we have found that the _cost_ of buying supplemental isn't as much as paying for HMO (if, indeed you had the option) while living in the USA (and, with HMOs, that system was already telling people _which_ doctor they could or couldn't see).
As for "World Class", anyone turning to Wikipedia as an impeachable source earns my disdain. That said, if something bad _did_ happen within the French healthcare system, it doesn't make the system bad, merely the happenstance. (Look up the aphorism about babies and bathwater next time you're on wiki, "WC").
Before going into self exile for a week, I promise not to post anymore about healthcare on the board, since I'm sure Steve and others will agree the forum (which I always forget about) is probably a better place for this excellent and -- unfortunately -- ongoing debate.
Cheers,
DTS
P.S. Cindy -- smooch! (Hope you know my argument was with the Fox News-driven information that you've been led to believe, and not with your sweet heart) (Fox News: _there_ is a corporate devil that needs exorcising!)
Sandra, congrats and check your email
A-T C, pelase wish Judi a very happy birthday from me
Something I have noticed on this health care debate, and on many other key issues being debated right now: facts do not seem to matter. Sure, people supporting universal health care coverage can point to statistics showing the infant mortality rate in the US is behind many third world countries or that the number of bankruptcies due to medical related bills has jumped astronomically but that really does not matter to many opponents of changing the current health care system (please note I am in NO WAY attacking Cindy, who is a nice lady, I am making observations on the aggregate). Simply put, the art of political debate seems to be vanishing.
I disagreed with William F. Buckley on many issues, yet I would not question his intelligence nor his logic. That skill set seems to be lacking in today's climate. Whether it is a Limbaugh, a Beck, or an Olberman, the ability to have any type of civilized discussion about serious topics such as health care reform, global warming, or various military incursions has been replaced by invectives being lobbed by both sides like grenades.
This is a development that worries me, as there are critical issues that need to be addressed and I just do not see how that will happen in the current political climate. The situation will deteriorate further later this year, as the Dems are poised to lose between 3-7 seats in the Senate, possibly more if they are unable to get any type of health care reform passed.
The hopes I had when Obama was elected grow dimmer on a near daily basis
Off-topic Polls
The three poll references linked in this space yesterday in the interest of more recent data have nothing to do with the point I was making. They indicate public dissatisfaction with the way Obama and the Democrats are handling health care reform, which indicates nothing about the public's preference for government-run health care. The articles summarizing the polls are rather vague on whether the respondents were questioned about Obama's handling of health care reform or about the various versions of the reform bills currently slouching toward possible passage in the Congress. But the point is that neither touches on government-run health care. Obama was always opposed to single payer, and he threw the "public option" under the bus months ago. In Congress, every vestige of government-run health care was systematically stripped out of the Senate version, which is the only one with even a ghost of a chance of reaching Obama's desk. Indeed, some of the citizens who feel negatively toward Obama's and/or the Congress's handling of health care reform, and would likely tell a pollster so, are the most vocal advocates of government-run health care.
I therefore repeat, emphatically, that the assertion that "60 % of Americans (by every poll out there) do not want government run health care" is inaccurate. I am aware of no data, of any vintage, supporting this assertion. It isn't true.
Steve J.
The French Way
France sure does have a World Class Health Care System.Why, did you know they have the lowest per capita rate of hemophilia of any industrialized nation?
Yep, true!
It's because their world class health care system supplied Fremch hemophiliacs in the 1980s with HIV tainted blood clotting factor, which they must regularly take to avoid bleeding to death in a very painful fashion. Contaminated medicine the French Health Care Minister knew was tainted. He went to jail over it.
Oh, and the reason for the crime? The American designed and very effective test for screening blood products for HIV was available for use at the time, but the French Health Ministry refused to allow its use, preferring to wait for a French-designed test. They wanted French Big Pharma to get the payday, not American Big Pharma.
Yes, it was for money that people died. Governments are just as fucked about money as any other group of people. Modern society thrives on Big Organizations that do not give Diddly Squat Fuck All about anyone. That includes governments. The bigger and more centralized the power, the more dangerous. The myopic focus of so many on the label, i.e. "OOOO, Big Corporation, Bad. AHHH, Big Government Good!" is pathetic.
The way some of you suck up to government is disgusting. They're a bunch of whores no less than private industry. Just less answerable. Try suing the government sometime. Ever heard of "sovereign immunity"?
There is no silver bullet. There is no panacea.
Trust no one blindly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infected_blood_scandal_(France)
assorted
SANDRA - HOORAY!! WELL DONE!!
IAN - Well said!
FRANK - I love the phrase "the untidy fate of nature."
MM
Healthcare...
Frank,
You don't live in Canada. The funding cuts in health care are from all political spheres. In Ontario, its the Liberal party that runs the show. In the other provinces its either the NDP, the PC's or the Liberals. The incidents I mentioned occurred in Ontario. This is not the result of a cutting of federal funding. This is the result of greedy men and women not interested in the plight of their fellow human beings, but interested in getting re-elected.
I suggest you read up on the E-Health scandal and see how much money(its in the billions) was wasted by both the reigning Liberal party and the previous Conservative party. Money that could have been spent saving peoples lives but ended up in peoples pockets. Many of them card carrying reputed "caring" liberals and conservatives. They're liars.
Use your intellect and recognize that very few of them are interested in you, Frank Church, and are more interested in self.
God I miss Mr. Carlin.
Joe
Steve Barber and Frank Church are my heroes today.
Cindy, God Cindy, noooooooooooooo.
Healthcare is rationed in this country--health insurance companies decide who lives and who dies. We have gleaming hospitals and state of the art care, but only deep pockets ride that rocket.
Imagine you're a single mother, you lose your job, have to be on food stamps, welfare. Your kid comes down with cancer, not his or her fault, just the untidy fate of nature. The cost will be in the hundreds of thousands, if not more. If that child was in Sweden or Norway they would get world class care and there would be no bill. Here, unless her neighbors have a zillion bakesales, the kid will die.
It's about as simple as that. Life and death doing the dance. Matters how sweet the music is.
----------------
Canada has shitty funding. Some provinces fund on top levels, some don't, which explains rationed care. Funding has been cut by the same conservative, anti-government zealots. Equal funding means higher care. Norway is a model.
See Sicko, read the testimony of Doctor Linda Pino.
Read beyond tea-baggers monthly.
-------------
Zmag is going Zinn crazy. Blessed thing. There's a great video of Walter Mosely interviewing Zinn.
Zappa plays Zappa
Sorry for the second post -- forgot something. I know there are several Zappa Plays Zappa fans on the board -- they're playing with Jeff Beck on April 17th at Nokia Live -- tickets on sale tomorrow (and you can buy American Express presale tix now if you have that card)
Sorry, sorry, sorry... I will remove myself for a while
Sundry
Congrats Sandra! That is just amazing -- frame it, frame many copies of it!
*********************************************
Steve Barber --
Brilliant points about healthcare
******************************************
And thanks to those who addressed my obscure question about DAM BUSTERS and the black dog -- this board is full of wise people
******************************************
Off to see Neil Gaiman speak at UCLA tonight -- he's always fun. I'll let you know if he mentions our host.
Canadian pipes in about healthcare
Some caution regarding socialized medicine. I live in a country
were people have access to "free" medicine. It is not free. You pay into it from the day you were born. I live in a country of roughly 33 million people. You will have to wait. Sometimes as long as 3 months (or longer) for an MRI. If its an emergency and you luck out you will have that CAT/MRI scan done immediately(if the facilities have the equipment).
IMO socialized medicine is the way to go and the USA has the greatest opportunity to make a system that works well for everybody. However, there seems to be a myth perpetuated that everybody in a socialized system uses it. That is a lie. Those that can afford it will pay for private health care and will continue to do so.
Why? If I'm affluent enough why should I stand in line with the rest of the proles? If I can afford to have a doctor on call who will perform surgery right away do you honestly think that I will wait? HA!
Recently Danny Williams (also known as Danny Millions) the premier of Newfoundland needed heart surgery. Although he loves the idea of socialized medicine, guess where he is having his surgery? You guessed it.
There have been numerous incidents of people having to have their cancer surgery or treatment in the States because we just don't have the facility or time to treat. And people do die waiting. As they do in a private insurance controlled system.
I think part of the problem stems from the fact that we all take Malthus to heart (as all politicians do) and realize that some of us got to die. That's all there is to it.
Empathy is one thing. Survival is another.
Joe
Not to change the subject (I'm a single-payer man myself) but congratulations to Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Colin Powell, for speaking out on the issue of Gays and Lesbians in the military. Perhaps our President will be inspired to come out on this issue, pardon the pun. And a f*ck you to John McCain for his disgusting hypocrisy.
There is no ethical opposition to full civil rights for Gays. The only opposition is fomented by religiously sanctioned bigotry.
Congratulations Sandra!!!
(I thought it deserved bold print.)
Now THAT is frameable artwork!
_______________________________________
Before the board gets chewed up on Healthcare reform, let me note one tiny, minor, almost insignificant point the conservative pundits have been omitting, nay, bald faced lying about.
The greatest reform is aimed at insurance companies. Insurance companies are billing companies.
They are not healthcare providers. They are not doctors. They are not hospitals. They are not -- as a whole -- patients. They collect money and distribute it.
They should not be making healthcare decisions. They should not be second-guessing physicians. They should not be denying benefits to people who have been paying their premiums.
Second LIE: The government would not be running healthcare. A preposterous suggestion flat out lied about from the Right. Regulation and requirements are not running.
45,000 people die each year from a lack of available care. Many more go to emergency rooms, knowing they cannot and will not pay for their treatment. You and I will. Currently. In the existing system. Insurance reform will allow more people to be covered, and fewer dollars extracted from our wallets to pay for those who cannot afford it now.
(Fox News will lie to you about this. Not stretch the truth, not obfuscate. Lie.)
Why is it medicines in most other developed countries are less expensive? Why are Americans expected to pay prices that may be many times those in other nations? Why, in this wonderful paradise of healthcare coverage, do so many people have to go begging to pay for meds which are half priced, right across the border?
Why does the Right think it's okay for us -- you and me -- to get gouged in order to make profits for companies versus provide actual, true, unmistakable world class coverage to more people.
Ask yourself: who thinks the current system works well for the consumer? Why do Congresspeople and right-wing pundits think it does not need to be revised? Who stands to gain if nothing is done?
The consumer?
The reason -- and I am simply noting the post below without necessarily agreeing with the statistics -- 60% of Americans don't want the government running healthcare is a) they've been told it's a bad thing by people who stand to gain financially if nothing changes, and b) it's a lie to have phrased the question that way.
Americans have been scared into immobility by the Right. On foreign policy, on healthcare, on domestic security. Better to do nothing than to risk government involvement.
Unh-uh. My money is my money, and if reform will help more people get coverage, costing me less of my money, than I cannot see that as anything other than a win-win.
___________________________________
TOM MORGAN AND KOS - I want to send you an invite to Cris' gig at the Coach House, but do not have current emails for either of you (Tom, yours is bouncing). If you might want to go, can you shoot me an email? Thx.
Sandra: that's so great, congratulations. And what a terrific story title.
Thirteen Penguins On A Waffle Iron, Singing the Mikado
Weird thought of the day: you know who would make an absolutely terrifying competitive poker player? Somebody with Tourette's syndrome.
*
Today's Judi's birthday. Woot!
Health care (again)
So public health care is "Unsustainable"? OK lets have a look at this myth. We in the Uk have had an national health service since the end of World War 2. Its been ticking along nicely since then. If it was unsustainable it would have collapsed long before now. The fact that it has not is further proof that Americans are being lied to. The fact that half of Europe also has a nationalised health service proves the same.
Also you should think about who is telling you that social health care wouldnt work. Does this guy get a nice amount of funding from a major health insurance company? Is he perhaps on the board of directors of the same? Does he have any family connections to one of these companies? If the answer is yeah then he is gonna tell you that social health is crap and will fail cos he has a vested interest in seeing that it does fail. Why would he slaughter the goose that lays his golden eggs?
All I am really saying is that the system works in the UK. Its not perfect but it does work. I will never have to worry about being sick. I will be treated no matter what. It will never cost me a penny and no-one is ever going to refuse me treatment because I cant pay. I have already paid with my taxes, for the last 20 years more or less, and taken out of the system bloody rarely. But I know that in the future as I grow older that system will be there to take care of me, always. Its been doing it for over 60 years and has sustained for that long.
So please, to quote Public Enemy, DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE.
oops
Make that, "not denied..." (assume a typo if you see any other obvious errors -- gotta run!) --DTS
Health care systems
CINDY: Lots of people love ya around here, including me, but you are wrong in saying the USA has the best health care system in the world. Some of the finest hospitals? Yes. Some of the finest doctors? Yes, again. Some of the finest research facilities? Yes. But the best health care system? Not by a long shot. A Health Care system sees to it that none (or, at the _very_ least, the majority) of citizens are denied, well, care for their health and well-being. They have that here in Australia. It works just fine. And it doesn't break the bank. It's similar to the system in Canada, I'm told. There are also healthcare systems in place in England...Germany...France (which does, indeed, have the best heathcare system in the world)...even places like China, for Christssake! But not in the good ol' US of A. People have been brainwashed into believing that a healthcare system will break the bank, put the country on a road to (gasp) socialism (which, in the minds of the average, not-so-informed, American, equates to communism -- which equates to "Red China" or the Russia of old, etc., etc.)
The USA _doesn't_ have the best Healthcare system. It has one of the worst among industrialized nations. Because fear and willful ignorance have been used to manipulate average American into believing such a thing is evil (and that any rise in taxes will ensure that others will continue to lie around, be lazy taking advantage of those who "work for a living," etc. You know the propaganda -- it hasn't changed much since the 1950s).
The truly sad thing is that the same people who have been brainwashed into believing this crap, are the same ones who think it's okay to hand the government a blank check -- or at least another raise -- every year when it comes to money spent on defense. If we had truly brave politicians, they'd start doing some deep cutting in _that_ area. And no, it wouldn't put us at risk, or make us weaker. Far too much money is wasted on the defense budget each year.
When it comes to having a healthcare system that (at least) gives _all_ of the country's citizens a chance for basic care (shots, checkups, repairing broken bones, etc), remember to ask yourself: WWJD? ;)
Cheers to you and yours in Texas,
DTS
CONGRATULATIONS, SANDRA!!!!
Fabulous story! :) See your FB page for more details about how much I enjoyed it. You are one fine storyteller, habibi. :-)
Am tired out and going to bed now. But wanted to stop by for congratulations and huzzahs for you!
Love,
Gwyn
Sandra, congratulations!! Now that I'm gainfully employed (for the moment), it's time to renew some of my mag subscriptions. I'd love to get a story in that venue myself, but it looks like submissions are not needed at this time. You've inspired me, though. Awesome job!
It's just a gloss of an article but it's nice to see Thomas M. Disch remembered - and Harlan gets his inning about halfway down. Thanks to Jay Sheckley for the heads-up on this. Unless someone else posted and I missed it. Anyways...
http://open.salon.com/blog/the_biblio_files/2008/07/10/thomas_m_disch_1940_-_2008
RH 49 and a treat!
Dear Harlan and Susan,
I am happy to report that RH 49 has arrived safe and sound up here in Canada - what a great issue! Thanks for all of the hard work that you put into each issue - it is really appreciated!
Also, a special thanks to Harlan for the signed book inserts and accompanying note. I was absolutely tickled to find them in the mail a few days ago. It means a lot to me that you were able to take the time to finish them up and send them off with everything that has been going on in the past while.
With admiration for all that you both do,
~Alisha
Iain....love,
I don’t know what the polls say but if you say it’s 60%-- those are the Americans who don’t want a healthcare bill that will drive costs up, be fiscally unsustainable and break the best, most advanced healthcare system in the world.
Cindy
Chuck,
You really are the kindest soul on these boards and I am honored to be your friend.
:)
Cindy
Sandra! Unless someone beats me to it while I type this, let me be the first to say congrats. Or, first upon seeing the cover anyways.
That's wonderful. And a nifty title.
- Barney
Shagin:
Congratulations once again! I have been to the site and purchased the issue. All here must do the same.
Doc Z:
Thanks for that. What I brought away from the State of the Union address and the following visit to the congress meeting (mind if I bring a camera crew, guys?) was repeated calls to rise above the insults and name calling. And he specifically pointed out that he was addressing that to both sides. "Everyday cannot be election day", I believe was one quote. It is those statements, more than any specific stands on issues, that have most stuck in my mind and made me think.
A good day to all here.
Thanks for the link, Sandra! What an illustrious list of authors there on Baen's Universe. I've added it to my favorites.
Chuck
DTS- Thanks for the reply. I know most people frequently change their minds, and that's generally a good thing. And I'm not in any way trying to point fingers or call Harlan a hypocrite. It's not like I was offended by the contradiction; it struck me more as funny than anything else. It's just an odd little thing I noticed while reading the book, and I was curious as to what (if anything) Harlan might have to say about it, even if it's just to call me a nerd and tell me to get a life. If not, that's okay too, I'm not losing any sleep over it.
If you've nothing better to do, check out the link below and take a close look at the cover of the magazine.
http://www.baens-universe.com/
Sandra
Misreadings
Yeah, I just missed one on the list. It was actually ten nominees, which is BS.
I guess I did not scroll down far enough on the stupid JAVA-encrusted page where I found the nominees for Best Animated Feature Film. Yeah, there are five nominees as per normal.
Y'know, I am apolitical in the sense only that I don't argue politics often/at all. I have politics, but like religion and other such personal matters, I discuss them carefully and with people I know well and have a certain history with.
Having demurred a bit there, a parable from real life.
When I was a single man, I went through a long period when I could not get acy action. I could not get a date. Not a call back. Not a wink in the grocery store line. It was like looking for a bar in a dry county.
I started complaining high and low how stupid Americna women were. I was such an obvious catch. Cute in a manly way, intelligent, well read, well educated, talented, employed. Why were these morons avoiding me like the plague with plaque and vomitous halitosis?
Finally a female friend, which amazingly I still had one of, lost it one night when I got particularly whiny over this situation, and pointedly brought me up short. She told me that it was obvious I thought most women were stupid. I reeked contempt for the female. Why, if you had asked me, I would have averred that no less than sixty per cent or American women were little more than Neanderthal Women.
"If you want women to like you, you might consider changing that. However stupid someone is, or isn't, they are nearly always smart enough to spot your attitude. Smart enough to resent being thought stupid. Change your attitude." she said.
Pissed me off, but I tried her advice.
Worked, too.
Doc. Z.
The Dam Busters:
It’s probably better to say that there’s more of a disconnect between using terms with racist origins and actually being racist. Particularly since at the time, many people wouldn’t have any contact with black people. So they were just words. Not words of abuse used on a daily basis to denigrate, as might be more the case in America. Many black dogs had that name at the time. If someone were to have objected at the time, most people wouldn’t have understood that there was a problem, and if they’d had a bit of an education could probably draw on latin origins: “Nigra Sum” etc to defend their choice.
Only a year or so, there was much excitement in the UK about the use of the word golliwog. An object based upon minstrel images, but which many (mostly older) people are unable to see as racist.
The dog’s name has been a source of discomfort for at least the last 30 years. Novelists like David Lodge and Martin Amis have written about how it wouldn’t be acceptable nowadays.
For about the last 5 years there have been occasional newspaper pieces about the attempts by Peter Jackson to produce and Stephen Fry to write a script for a remake of “The Dam Busters”. If they use the real name of the dog – used as an important code for the mission - then it’s going to shock the audience unnecessarily. If they change the name, then there is a sufficiently large contingent who object to this “Political Correctness gone mad”, that it is changing an important historical fact, and is in some way an insult to the memory of the men who died to keep Britain safe.
Broadcasters in the UK have alternated between showing censored and uncensored versions, but which ever option they take they still get complaints.
out of date polls
from CBS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/11/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6084856.shtml
from the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (via newsvine, sfgate.com has it also):
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/01/25/3808399-poll-shows-growing-fears-on-health-care-overhaul?commentId=11962189
from the 1/22/2010 Rasmussen Reports poll:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/poll-61-say-dems-should-drop-health-care.php
The most obvious point of all that being don't trust data over a month old when it comes to a hot topic like healthcare reform. I am not saying that I agree with the majority in any of these polls, just that the information is more recent and therefore more relevant. It just tells you whose propaganda machine is working best at the moment. I can guarantee you that it will change before the next full moon.
Sadly, I have a CAMU(s) quotient of 0.00000 ~ no hits at all for "Stephen Perry is an asshole," at least until this gets indexed by the search engines.
Semi-Writer: re-apply at the doc's office. they have great benefits. trust me on this.
the academy awards are bought and sold now just as they were in the days of "the greats." want me to care about them? then let it slip that one of the nominees was ghost-written by Harlan and they will reveal which at the awards ceremony. unlike the last time when HE was sworn to secrecy.
"60 % of Americans (by every poll out there) do not want government run health care. Period. Over and out."
This is inaccurate.
Let me cite a couple of counterexamples. From a CBS News / New York Times poll of January 2009: "Americans are more likely today to embrace the idea of the government providing health insurance than they were 30 years ago. 59% say the government should provide national health insurance, including 49% who say such insurance should cover all medical problems." To see the full breakdown of numbers, see http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/SunMo_poll_0209.pdf and scroll down to the "Health Insurance" heading.
Also, a Kaiser Foundation poll from July of 2009 asked respondents whether they favored or opposed "creating a government-administered public health insurance option similar to Medicare to compete with private health insurance plans." The result? 59% in favor, 36% opposed. Here's the link on that one: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7943.pdf
The Kaiser poll is especially revealing because it approaches the question from multiple angles. For example, for those who responded that they would favor a government-run plan, a follow-up question asked if the respondents who favored government-run health care would still favor such a plan if it "could give the government plan an unfair advantage over private insurance companies." The result: 59% still favor, 39% opposed. Note that even loading the question with biased language ("an UNFAIR advantage") peels off scarcely more than a third of the favorable respondents. Most of them continue to favor it even when the premise of the question arbitrarily defines it as unfair.
The assertion that government-run health care is unpopular is frequently heard, but is not supported by the actual data, which in fact shows the opposite. And, as Frank Church has pointed out, these poll numbers are the product of an environment in which the mainstream media have laid their thumbs heavily on the scales against serious consideration of the single payer option (as opposed to the "public option"). Imagine how lopsided the poll numbers might be if the mainstream media had permitted a robust and evenhanded debate in which the pros and cons of a single payer system had been given an equal seat at the pundits' roundtables.
Steve J.
The dog in dambusters
Fifty years ago it was a different time. There's no wonderful way to paint it but it was not a word bearing the same weight then and there and the society in the UK then was predominately white and so objections weren't likely to come. What is also something to keep in mind is that in Britain so very much comes down to class even more than race. There's a class element in that word as well. Writers like Conrad and Chesterton and Hemingway all used it just as they used anti semitic language even though they weren't. (edmund wilson wanted to quote from a Hemingway letter where he used the k word. This was after the Second World War and Hemingway told Wilson, "We must never use those words anymore.") I'm sorry if this doesn't help.
Re: Ratzenberger
This seems to be the official story:
The Cliff Clavin character was co-created by Ratzenberger, who had earlier auditioned for the Norm Peterson role. The producers let him know that he had impressed them, but that he didn't really click as Norm. Ratzenberger responded by pointing out that what the ensemble didn't have was a "bar know-it-all". They asked Ratzenberger for an example, he improvised some dialogue for the know-it-all, and he was invited to play the role for a two-show tryout; he remained a regular throughout the show's 11-year run.
Sorry, Pogue, I disagree with you.
Let's say you were the writer/producer of the big new sitcom SIT ON MY FACE.
You are auditioning actors for the role of Brad Ratzberry.
I come in for a reading.
I don't quite fit what you're looking for, yet you comment on my very apparent talent.
I pitch an idea for a different character and immediately demonstrate with some improvised dialogue.
You go for it. From that point on - throughout the series - we work together to develop the character. You may even come up with the name and fictional bio for the character, but beyond that there's much collaboration on the character, and soon I can even tell you what the character would or would not do.
In a scenario like this, I'd be MIGHTY pissed if YOU went around claiming you came up with the character. I created the character. You developed him.
That's called a co-creation. This happens in tv all the time.
(Reminds me a bit of the legendary feud about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creating the Silver Surfer. KIRBY was the guy who came up with the concept and the design. Stan developed the character. Yet, Stan is popularly credited as "creator" of the Silver Surfer, which isn't correct. Kirby's gripes about credit were well-founded)
Thus, the context with regard to Ratzenberger is justifiable.
Now, Pogue, I'm not going to get trapped in protracted trade-offs with you about the omnipresence of the writer, regardless of the propriety on ideas. We're never going to agree on this as long as the argument is posed so rigidly. It's that simple.
**The stupid American population
60% of the population don't want health coverage?
The polls I've seen declare that only a third of the voters support mandates WITHOUT a public option, while nearly two-thirds want the public option with Medicare expansion.
It's a stupid country - filled with Neanderthals who helped lead the US to where it is now, and may lead it into even further disaster as they hand more power to the "Corporate Royalists" - yet a majority certainly support a good health care plan (look at the favorable view toward Medicare!).
***"Democratic Socialism isn't Socialism"
Sure it is. There are MANY forms of Socialism. That's the point too many people miss.
Make that: WITH the first movie.
One day I'll switch to using google translations.
Peter David, I really dug your Star Trek stuff back in the day. Enjoyed the most: The Siege, Imzadi, Rock and a Hard Place & both TOS DC series while you did them. Great fun.
Yeah, I know that's long behind you.
--
It's exciting that Harlan knows Cohen. I wondered from time to time if they'd crossed paths because there were certain parallels. It seemed almost certain, yet Harlan had never mentioned it (to me). I'd like to have been a "fly on the wall" at the Grammys.
Cohen would be a great "Harlan meets..." partner for the DWST sequel I fantasize about (you know, the one about Harlan chatting (after work) with colleagues and friends in interesting places). Peter David should be in it too. Are you writing this down, Erik?
(Now, if only Harlan hadn't run out of things to say in the first movie.)
Old movie question
Maybe someone can enlighten me about this one.
I was watching the 1950's British war movie THE DAM BUSTERS about British attempts to blow up German dams with a new kind of bomb. (Supposedly George Lucas studied this film and even used some dialogue from it in the first STAR WARS.)
It's all very proper and stodgy and British, has some great aerial work and good performances by Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd (and early appearances by Robert Shaw and Patrick McGoohan).
But a major character is Richard Todd's black dog, whose name is (I won't spell it out, but you get it): "Ni**er". So through the whole film these very proper, very white guys are yelling happily for "Ni**er" (and, of course, not a person of color in sight in this film).
I found that rather shocking. I mean, even if that was the real name of the dog, this movie was made in the 50's and I'd have thought that term might have caused some concern. I read that in the United States, they dubbed the name as "Trigger". So why did they use it in England? Didn't it have the same connotation?
Any of you guys have any clue about this? I know it's obscure, but you're a smart bunch.
DTZ- (500) Days of Summer
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER is in my top five movies of the year. It also has one of the best openings that I've seen recently. My wife and I were laughing so hard we had to stop the movie.
United States
Hunh. I ran "Peter David is an asshole" through Google and only got one hit, and that was from my own board, and it was said in jest. I must not be trying hard enough.
As for the question as to whether 60% of Americans are morons, I'm reminded of when we were watching some short lived game program two years ago, and the question was, out of a thousand Americans surveyed, "How many believed that Vin Diesel was the inventor of the Diesel engine?" And my daughter Ariel turned and said, "Quick: What's Bush's current approval rating? How many people think he's doing a good job?" I said, "I read this morning it was at 32%." She turned to the TV and said, "32% think Vin Diesel invented the Diesel engine."
She got it on the nose.
Americans are now busy voting Republicans into place as senators and governors. So don't think for a moment that 60% couldn't possibly be morons.
PAD
Democratic socialism is not socialism, but a mixed form of capitalist/socialist. Marxism is socialism in a pure form. Central Marxism is the bad kind, bottom-up grass roots marxism is the good kind. Anarchism is similar.
---------
Ray Carlson, so there was an honest, fair debate about the healthcare issue? There were lots of single payer stories, right? The success levels in places like France and Sweden? All sides had their say and the public got all the information?
Yea, I thought so.
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Nine Oscar nominees, what a crock!
60% of amercans....
So according to some pols 60% of Americans dont want a health care system that will never refuse them treatment, would cost the about the same as they pay in insurance or possibly less, they would rather line some fat cats pocket and allow them to dictate policy to the government with regards to your health and believe that any system that would give free and affordable healthcare is a bad thing....
Riiiiiiight.
So are 60% of Americans complete and utter morons? Or are they just dumb ebough to buy into the claptrap that social healthcare is some kind of commie plot to undermine the American way of life? From what I can see you may as well toss a coin on that one. Sadly Joe Average American gets told that Social Health Care is a very close thing to Socialism, which as everyone KNOWS is just one step away from Communism, which is of course EEEEEEVIIIIILLL!!! Worse still though... they believe it.
I live in the UK. That island that Stephen Hawking would die in under a National Health Service. The one he DOES live in and has so far FAILED to die under the care of.
The bigger question is not whether 60% of American want Healthcare reforms, but it is "Are 60% of Americans complete assholes?"
60 % of Americans (by every poll out there) do not want government run health care. Period. Over and out.
Ratzenberger's creation
Suggesting a character, having an idea for a character is not creating a character. Any writer can tell you that an idea...hard as they often are to come by...is nothing until it is fleshed out. The execution of the idea is all.
TIME (Is it true you wait for no one? But I digress...)
Your math is off by a decimal point or two. Josh is not 9.6 CMAU, he is .096 CMAU (or, just shy of one-tenth of Cameron's hits.)
And unfortunately, I also need to note that the acronym is CAMU, not CMAU. I attribute this last to it being 3am when you posted.
But it does put things in perspective.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"The key to good health and losing weight is ...
a) Eat less
b) Exercise more"
Sad to say, I tend to get these reversed.
Interesting
Google results:
"Harlan Ellison is an asshole" scored eight occurrences
"Josh Olson is an asshole" received five thousand five hundred and fifty occurrences
"James Cameron is an asshole" got fifty two thousand five hundred occurrences
So by this scale Josh Olson is nine point four six CMAU (CAMERON ASSHOLE MEASUREMENT UNITS) The CMAU is the International Standard Metric Unit of Asshole Level, as determined at CERN.
For calibration purposes, "George W. Bush is an asshole" earned two million seven hundred and ninety thousand hits on Google. That's fifty point seven CMAU.
Harlan Ellison is at one point four four times ten to the minus fourth CM. That's 0.000144 CMAU.
In sum, Josh Olson scores sixty three hundred times higher in CMAU than Harlan Ellison.
While I am not sure what all this means, it does open a new window into the phenomenon of assholeness.
Safe exposure levels have not been determined, though preliminary studies show that time spent in close proximity to individuals with high CMAU scores may predispose you to an elevated Google CMAU score.
Back to my cave.
So
Best. Review. Ever. (Since HE's book of reviews, that is). Go ahead. Have a laugh on me.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/31/phantom-menace-reviewer-takes-on-avatar/
Cabins: Uncle Tom's and otherwise
DAVID: Hope you don't mind my weighing in while waiting for Mr. Ellison to get back to you. Personally, I wishe "Dick" and Bush could have been as Walt Whitmanesque, and that both of them would've had such an opinion change regarding various matters even more important during the eight years they prosyletized. Instead, they merely sent out _their_ Uncle Tom's to do their bidding and spread the word.
It's been my experience that wise -- and open-minded -- men and women with the capability to learn often change their minds and opinions. Especially when experience -- or new discoveries --show them otherwise as they wander through life. Sometimes even as little as twelve months of time can make a difference.
Cheers,
DTS
John Ratzenberger
Unless he was lying, I saw an interview with John Ratzenberger once in which he did in fact say that he created that character. He was trying out for a role in the Cheers pilot and just before he left the interview he turned to them and asked, "Have you got a character who's a bar know-it-all? A guy who always has an answer whether it's right or not?" And Cliff was born. I have no doubt that the writers expanded on this idea and developed Cliff far beyond what John Ratzenberger thought up, but the basic concept of Cliff was, according to John Ratzenberger, his idea.
Rob...
Just a minor point...John Ratzenberger did not create the character of Cliff Clavin on CHEERS. He INTERPRETED the character. Writers for that show CREATED the character.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Dear Harlan,
Hi. At the risk of getting my head bitten off, I have a somewhat obscure question to ask. I've been reading Harlan Ellison's Watching for the past few days, and I noticed that there are two starkly contrasting opinions on "Uncle Tom's Cabin" within the span of only 30-some pages, or three years in real time. From the first paragraph of your article on "Up The Down Staircase" (1967):
"It certainly didn't begin with Mr. Luce and his bogus posed photograph of 'beatniks in their natural habitat"- nor even with Harriet Beecher Stowe's fradulent UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, purporting to be the gospel on how it was for de darkie way down South..."
And from "Joe" (1970), also in the first paragraph:
"Only rarely in the turmoil of human events does a work of fiction speak so clearly, with such brutal directness to the core truths of the condition of life that no matter what one's beliefs, there is no denying its validity. Zola's 'J'Accuse' was such a work, Harriet Beecher Stowe's UNCLE TOM'S CABIN was another."
Now, I'm aware that nobody is 100 percent consistent 100 percent of the time, and everybody has views that shift and change over the years, but such a dramatic 180-degree change in such a (relatively) short amount of time made me scratch my head a little. I know it's been 40 years since then, and it's clearly not the most important issue of our time, but I was just curious as to what your thoughts are on this.
Thanks for everything,
David
Enumerating Oscar
Not sure what news source you're looking at, Doc, but there are in fact TEN nominations for best picture this year (Avatar; The Blind Side; District 9; An Education; The Hurt Locker; Inglourious Basterds; Precious; A Serious Man; Up; Up in the Air) and, yes, five for best animated feature (Coraline; Fantastic Mr. Fox; Princess and the Forg; Secret of Kells; Up). Yes, Up is a double nominee, and yes, having more than five best picture candidates is new this year, a bid to shore up sagging ratings by including more crowd-pleasers alongside the art flicks and serious suchlike.
This information is just a cover for an issue I've raised before:
I never would have guessed it, but I just learned the actor who created Cliff Clavin in Cheers, John Ratzenberger, is a karate expert. He holds a red belt. (I didn't even KNOW there was red belt rank! Belongs to a specific style of Karate, I suppose)
I then went on to read that Ratzenberger, like his former co-star , Kelsey Grammer, is also a Republican...who pushed last year to defeat the health care measure. "It's socialism!", he argued.
I HATE reading that shit! I HATE hearing dumb-ass comments like that! I hate ANY stupid, one-dimensional argument.
A word often used in loose context, without any informed scrutiny, exemplifies an ideology still wide-spread in a broad part of the population who won't study the facts beyond sophistical semantics and sound bytes. Ideology that invariably amounts to blind, simplistic, narrow-minded, pettifogging. NEVER mind the thousands of people without money ill or dying...it's "SOCIALISM". Regardless of the form...Democratic Socialism, or whatever...it's "SOCIALISM".
Totally, frighteningly brainless. Many, many people simply live in their own worlds. They won't even LOOK for a window to examine the realities so many others must face. It's all part of the make-up of tribalism.
Even Cliff Clavin must have someone ill and poor in the family. LEARN the meaning of Democratic Socialism. Because that's what instills the checks and balances in a system steeped in faction.
Nines and Up's
Since I take the Oscars (OSCARS, "Academy Awards" is such booshwa, as if this largely, though not totally, jumped up gsggle of golden egg layers are some frigging French Academy of Letters and all)...
Where was I? Ah. Since I take the Oscars about as seriously as I do any other Feel Good event, I really only have a couple.three quibble on the nominations.
Nine nominees for Best Picture? I thought it was supposed to be five? Did someone change the rules? Nine seems the number this year, what with District Nine getting a BP nod, and another movie named "Nine" getting a nom. for something like Best Song.
I can barely remember the titles of nine decent films in the past two years, and they nominate nine for Best of 2009 alone? If you factor in the turning of Hollywood into soft clay over the past seventy years, Awrds Inflation Adjusted numbers would mean that in 1940 there should have been 945 nominees for Best Picture of 1939.
Oh, and did someone make a mistake? Two Science Fiction flicks get BP nominations? Maybe 2012 got it right, and the End Is Coming.
So Avatar does not get Best Original Screenplay chances, despite the other honors thrown at Cameron as Avatar "writer". But he really was robbed by not getting the nod for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Wgo Threw That?
And finally, only three nominees for best Animated Feature? I know, I know. It's tough to even define animation anymore, when a movie like Avatar gets nominated for Best Picture, but the nominators couldn't pad out the list with two wortjjy and unnoticed filmns? Nine make the cut for Best Picture, and they can only cough up three for Best Animated?
h
Good ting it is all just "Hoo-Ray For Hollywood" glitz for the glitterati. There's real money and ego at stake, but it's mostly a peep show for the rubes.
And I love it!
Doc. Z.
ENEMY MINE
In-between the film producing chores, I stopped in a little used book store here and had to chuckle.... Came across one of the TOR "double novels" from the 80s, featuring Longyear's "Enemy Mine"... the Drac in the cover art looks exactly like a Metalunan mutant (!) from the THIS ISLAND EARTH movie. Quite a find!
"The world is very strange..."
Got a call this afternoon from a Beverly Hills chiropractic office to come in for a job interview tomorrow... and I had to tell them "no."
Why? Because Wednesday--tomorrow--is the one and only day this month that I'm scheduled to work. I've got to be there, as the only one in the office, from roughly 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Call it dogged loyalty, if you will. The chiropractic place was unshakable in their set time: Wednesday at 1 p.m. I was unshakable in the fact that 1 p.m. is the most critical time of tomorrow's job; that's the hour when the boss gets back and I truly earn my $17/hour, updating him on messages and emails and taking care of correspondence that he missed throughout the morning. Even if it is only for one or two days a month.
They wouldn't set up a different time, not even at 2 p.m. ("the doctor sees patients then"). They wouldn't reschedule for another day. So y'know what? There's only one way to look at the situation, then: it's their loss, not mine.
The Secret to Good Health and Weight Loss
All right, even though I am violating the Sacred Covenant of the Ancient Order of the Knights of Don't Tell Nobody Nothing, I like you folks -- most of you -- so I am going to Reveal the Secret here. Keep it to yourselves, okay?
The key to good health and losing weight is ...
a) Eat less
b) Exercise more
These are the revolutionary core principles of my bestselling book, Steve Perry's Eat Less and Exercise More: The Secret to Good Health and Weight Loss, ($14.95, from Barnum Press, trade paper.)
Don't say I never gave you anything.
Perry
John Scalzi on the Macmillan vs Amazon embroglio
John Scalzi has a modest proposal to help those authors caught in the middle of this dispute. A very modest proposal indeed full of common sense. I urge you to read this: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/02/02/a-call-for-author-support/
The comments thread is equally thoughtful.
shagin: So that's what happened to my face! I wondered who had snuck in and skinned me in the middle of the night last week....
Harlan, congrats on the weight loss. I am impressed as I am trying to lose some of the weight I have gained recently myself. For me, havign a goal to work towards helps me focus on the weight loss, so I will be running in several races this summer, and may try to do another triathlon, hopefuly without the shattering of my left radius this time
Susan, I have not received RH #49 and I suspect it is because I have not given you my new address since I moved. If it does not arrive in a day or two, might I ask for a new copy to be sent to my current address (or I may just steal Keeney's copy and order something, thereby providing you with the new address)
Mark
Gynnie, very constructive thing to post. You may actually be of some use after all.
Laugh sugar, life is short, the dark divide is a footpath with no exits.
Congratulations on the weight loss, Harlan...having lost a lot of weight myself over the years, that is indeed an accomplishment to be proud of. Once those knuckleheads known as the EDD decide to stop holding my check hostage, I'm gonna see if I have enough to purchase some good stuff I saw in RH49.
Something else to pass along...
I realize that in Haiti, everyone is trying to help those in need. But when a certain Baptist group tries to take 33 Hatian kids across the border without even finding out if many of those children have parents, it doesn't look good at all. I'm not sure what their reasoning for trying to sneak these kids over the border, but not one of those fools tried to find out if any of those kids had parents that were still alive. Now come to find out that many of the parents have come forward to reclaim their children, and apparently, while in the care of this group, the kids weren't really cared for. All of them needed medical assistance.
More and more this sounds like a good case of lack of common sense and really jumping to conclusions. Feel bad for the kids...
Left Out a D!
That should be "joined," of course, not "joine!"
Sorry!
I haven't yet joine HERC becuase I'm a World Class Procrastinator, and because the money from my paycheck usually runs through my fingers like water. But, against the day that I DO join, I was wondering if back issues of RABBIT HOLE are available to members? If so, how far back to they go? Back to number one, perhaps?
Harlan's Quotation
I'm fortunate enough to be the friend whom Harlan referred to in his post "A New Ellison Quote -- If Anyone Notices," and I thought I'd share Harlan's original quotation: "Hope is what they give you when there's nothing left in sight."
I thought it was great. Has the purity of Kris Kristofferson's "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose" or Bob Dylan's "When you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose."
Okay. Back to lurking.
Let's Keep Congress' Feet to the Fire on Health Insurance Reform
http://whipcongress.com/?source=typ
An incredible 94 House Democrats have signed the Polis-Pingree letter calling on the Senate to pass the public health insurance option through "reconciliation," which only needs a simple majority to pass the Senate.
We're aiming for 100, and today is the last day for others to sign.
Dear Webderland friends, please use the link above to find your Representative and call him/her to request that he/she sign the Polis/Pingree letter.
The Polis/Pingree Letter
You can view the full letter at: WhipCongress.com/letter
******
Unca' Harlan, congratulations on the Grammy nomination and on your weight loss. I noticed from the photo in RH 49 that you looked in fighting trim.
Susan, Thank you for working like a maniac to save the day and get RH 49 out to us despite the worst intentions of devices computational. Definitely jettisoning the verb and noun thingies did the trick and sent it soaring into the air, winging its way to our hands. :) (I would love to see some photos from Grammy night in RH 50.)
Dear everybody else: waves and friendlies! :)
I'm still stumping for the public option and to keep the poor health reform bill lurching through the Senate. I truly believe that a public option for health insurance is the ONLY way to keep insurers honest. Did you know that only eight cents (.08) out of every dollar spent on Medicare goes to overhead costs?
In contrast, *at least* one fourth of the money spent on private insurance goes to overhead--that's money for stockholders, mansions for the vastly overpaid CEOs' expensive homes, private jets, home petting zoos. Yup, you heard the last one right. http://sickforprofit.com/ceos/
The government can do it more efficiently. Please call your Representative today and urge him/her to sign the Polis/Pingree letter. You can find their status at the link at the top of this post.
Many thanks,
Gwyneth
Belatedly re: Magic Realism in America
A belated comment: If Latin American Magic Realism makes one happy, read the very American Steve Katz---espec Wier & Pouce, Swanny's Ways, and Antonello's Lion. Harlan: You and I used to correspond at your instigation (I publish Bamberger Books when I can, and I used to send you review copies when you were on the radio, and even after just because you seemed interested), so I may have actually sent you a Steve Katz book years ago. (And I've written now one about his work...obscure publisher). That's all---except I hope you're well. Bill Bamberger
SUSAN:
RH49 arrived at the new address yesterday. Thank you! The check is in the mail.
Wait...
Let me rephrase that...
Singing in the Rain
So, last night my four year-old gets out a little umbrella and starts walking around in circles, spinning the brolly in his little hands. This is the same kid who, over the weekend, asked my to tuck in all of his stuffed bears "because they get so very cold, daddy."
The wife and I start singing "Singin in the Rain", and he's just loving it. So the DVD goes right in, and the scene is cued up. And the kid walks around in circles, watching Gene Kelly, and he's trying to mimic Kelly. Kelly hops back and forth from the curb to the street; little guy hops up and down (actually, bunny hopping was his primary form of mimicry). Kelly splashes in puddle; he stamps his widdle foot.
(I'm almost afraid to show him "Make 'Em Laugh", as he likely would try the wall flips.)
Then my nine year-old daughter (who has her own relationship with the movie) starts running around going, "I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!"
Parenthood has its moments.
HARLAN: Only now read your Grammy exploits, and am pleased as puddin' pie both you and Susan had a fine time.
***
Fielded an interesting question this weekend. "Hello, what name are you going by today?"
***
A RH #49 with mark Goldberg's face snuck into my mailbox yesterday, too cute to skin and eat so I read it instead.
***
It would seem I was the only one to notice that YJ shaved his pubescent facial fur this weekend. After reminding him that it is polite to ask before using someone else's razor, I had to admit he defuzzes very nice.
Oh, sweet jeebus! I'm too young for him to start shaving!
shagin
Moon....
I concur with your opinions.Unfortunately Mr.Jones is saddled with Jake Gyllenwhatshisname for his next movie. 'Tis a shame. From Rockwell to....Ugh!
sealing wax - and better ceilings
Harlan - that's a nice quote. And that is Fantastic and Wonderful news about the weight even if, as Steve said, the regimen leaves much to be desired.
Anybody get some good pics of you and Susan all decked out? Love to see them. Well, Susan anyway. ;-)
I *suspect* I just sent that person you were speaking to a note via email. Well, a link, anyways. But the last email I received from him was in September 2005 so perhaps he no longer does email. I know it's anathema to you but some of us find it useful. So, IF it's that person AND he is lurking here - the link;
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139133&id=601084006&l=b8b901b90c
All City Self Storage - What Could Go Wrong?
(not safe for people sickened by the site of 8,000 former books)
It's OK. I got 60,000 more where those came from. Well, MOSTLY OK. Or, is that moistly? Whatevs.
- Barney
Moovies
ZACK (and ALL): Yes, "Moon" for sure. Excellent SF film (and Sam Rockwell is great, as always). Also: check out "500 Days of Summer." Any romantic comedy featuring a fantasy sequence that pokes fun at "The Seventh Seal" while having a French cherub spout, "Take that...bitch," is okay in my book.
-DTS
THE STARLOST
Well, I finally made it through all the episodes of THE STARLOST. I had never seen it and was curious so picked up the DVD set. So much potential, well, lost! After having finished with the set, I honestly can't think of one really memorable episode outside of the pilot and maybe the first of the Walter Koenig "Oro" eps. The liner notes said "The Beehive" was the most remembered... I don't see why (bees that size in an enclosed dome? Really?). I don't mind owning it as a curiosity.
Frak this, I'm going to go re-read THE DEMOLISHED MAN.
oops !
po box is 42; town is Devault
Mr Movie
On April 16 at 7-11 PM at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville there will be a showing of Forbidden Planet as a memorial to Steve Friedman and to benefit the National Kidney Foundation. ( The Colonial, by the by, is where they filmed The Blob...and hosts a Blobfeat every year ).Anyone interested can contact The Family Film Show at mrmovie@gmail.com or c/o Michell Muldoon at PO Box 19432 Dwvault, Pa,19432 or call 610-316-5206. SUSAN- while I find it absurd that I could be of help to Harlan there is a MaryLou Difilippo in your files because I've sent her a lot of HE's stuff and she's a voiceover actress and could be of help. Again, isn't it pretty to think so...
Serious reply
Dear Harlan Ellison,
That you have no such agent is surprising, considering the quality of and recognition shown your voice work.
Then again, as long as you get said work, you have a very sweet ten per cent bonus by not having that extra hand in your pocket.
I know a small handful of indie types who occasionally need voice actors. I will promote your consideration by them for such work.
Are you interested in being interviewed as commentator/"expert" (no diminishment meant by quotes, I merely hesitate to call you expert without your permisson to label you as such) on gangs and urban violence, perhaps the history thereof over the last half century? I know one project that might be able to use that.
Actually, you reading a passge from Memos From Purgatory might even work for them. If I were the producer/director I would go for it.
I will do my best, but as you know, it's a crap shoot.
Best,
Doc. Z.
Ninety percent of the universe is dark matter. I need hope or I would lose my glasses.
Books currently reading......
1. Dangerous Visions
which will lead me to seeing
2. The Getaway
in a car to be lifted in the air by
3. It's Superman
Up, up and away to sing a
4. Song of Kali
who will lead me to recognize
5. The Killer Inside Me
No soft food for awhile. Mr. Ellison, have you read All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison with magnificent art by Frank Quitely?
Please do. If you would like, I could send you some copies.
Joe
SERIOUS REPLY TO DOCTOR ZOMBIE
Dear Kiddo:
I have no agent for cartoon voices, voiceovers, commercials, spoken word engagements, or the like. It isn't that I wouldn't LOVE to have such, but despite the substantial credits in all of the above that have fluttered my way through the years -- the great and accomplished Spoken Word director, Stefan Rudnicki, has tossed a lot of work, including the Grammy nominee, my way for the last decade or so -- despite all the (apparently outstanding) performances, no Vocal Agent or whatever they're called, has so much as whispered near by hearth.
So if you know something I don't (not hard to imagine), be not shy, son. When you're my age, with chops intact, the payday on ANY gig starts to look as big as a tablecloth.
Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan
A NEW ELLISON QUOTE ----- IF ANYONE NOTICES
I was talking (telephone) today, to a close longtime friend, who chooses for his own reasons merely to lurk here sans sound, and we were talking of shoes & ships & sealing-wax and...of course, the imminence of death.
And I said something en passant, and he asked, "Is that new?" and after the usual Huh???What'd I say??? we estimated I hadn't read it somewhere and was just playing mynnah bird, and we left it at that. But later, as the conversation unfurled in memory, I thought, "Y'know, that one ain't bad. Lean, a mite too lean; but lemme see if I can prod it a mite and make it preen itself some. So I rummaged the attic of my pomposity, and here's what I have for y'all:
"Hope is what they use to sucker-rig the game so you keep playing, when there's nothing else in sight." --- Harlan Ellison
Steeeeeeve
That should be
Fat A*S.
C'mon, do not you know proper grmr?
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR STEEVIE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
And many m-o-o-o-o-re.
(Um, do is it 2010 already? Oops. Strike my mention of Tinseltown Fantasies.)
Kage Baker
With apologies for double-posting, I just wanted to report that I have heard that award-winning fantasist Kage Baker has died. More information here:
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2010/02/kage-baker-1952-2010.html
- Phil
RH49
RH49 has reached the UK. Thanks, HERC! I was pleased to see notice of a forthcoming volume of screenplays, and particularly look forward to the RIPCORD and FLYING NUN episodes - these being series which I have never actually seen and find slightly hard to imagine.
I also noticed the reference to the 20,000 LEAGUES audio book, which is one I thoroughly recommend. Old Jules has never sounded so good. Harlan's Nemo could run rings around many interpretations. I seem to recall seeing Michael Caine as Nemo on TV around the same time as I first heard Harlan's reading, and thinking that Mr C should take lessons in menace from Harlan.
- Phil
Some Movies
No spoilers you sickos.
MOON - Make more of this. Today.
EL SUPERBEASTO - Fear Less.
TOKYO GORE POLICE - Japan. 'Tis a silly place.
ZOMBIE STRIPPERS - ZOMBIE STRIPPERS is the most philosophical movie I've ever seen.
Rent these movies now. Put the children to bed. Get serious.
Everyone's Favorite Martian Rover,
Zack "Honky-Tonk" Malatesta
Sound Familiar?
Did Avatar Completely Rip Off An Obscure British Comic Called Firekind?
Read it here:
http://www.heavy.com/post/did-avatar-completely-rip-off-an-obscure-british-comic-called-firekind-3291
Thanks to Harlan and Susan from Bob Deis
DEAR HARLAN -
Thanks again for letting me reprint your stories "Death Climb" and "Island of Tyooah" online -- and for your surprise phone calls! And, thanks to Susan for dealing with the paperwork side of things with me. I am VERY grateful to you both.
I made the downloads of the stories live today in a post on my blog at -
http://www.menspulpmags.com/2010/02/harlan-ellisons-lost-mens-adventure.html
If there is anything you or Susan would like me to change in that blog entry or the downloadable files, please let me know. I sent you a CD with copies of the PDF files without passwords. (The versions posted online are password protected as we discussed.)
Thanks again and best regards from your appreciative fan...
- Bob Deis (aka SubtropicBob)
Happy Birthday, Steverino! Many more, I hope.
Congrats to Harlan for losing those fourty pounds. Way to go!
Ezra has also lost some unwanted flesh, so congrats to him as well.
Cindiana Jones: Don't worry about making the occasional mistake. Why should you be any better than the rest of us yahoos? We've all tasted our toes at one time or another.
Chuck
Thank you Mr. Perry. Or, as I like to think of it: 39"K".
__________________________________________
Harlan's write up regarding the nominees' banquet was wonderful. So glad you got to get dudded up, and the lady was all blinged out. Yeah, a dust magnet for the shelves would've been nice, but it seems as if you actually got to do the fun stuff and that's really all that counts.
It really must grate on some folks (you know, the "what's he done lately?" variety) that you keep getting these plaudits. You know what they say about revenge and living well.
_________________________________________
In Grammy toto: we went 1 for 5. Only Kurt Elling, who is a distant acquantance, walked away with a trophy. The folks we know much better -- Harlan, along with jazzers John Clayton, his son Gerald, and Tierney Sutton -- just enjoyed the party.
Some day...
_________________________________________
ROB - Harlan looks great. Not thrilled with the months long flu-like whatsit that helped out, but he looks great. Alas, I have no plans to use the Ellison Fitness Diet for my own F*t A*s.
Harlan -- Delighted that you had a good time. Now that payday has come and gone, I can download and listen for myself (between home and car repair, the last six months have been friggin brutal).
concentricfridays -- I shan't spoil, but I did finish Lehane's novel over the weekend, and I can't wait to see what Scorsese has done with it.
Got a little ego-boo at work last week, getting a performance award. It's nice to get noticed now and again.
Dennis J - I read my first Chandler (The Big Sleep) last year, so I know *exactly* how you feel.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Mr. Barber. 39 forever!
or as the kids say:
Hippo birds eye two ewe
Hippo birds eye two ewe
Hippo birds eye deer Stevie
Hippo birds eye two ewe!
Ohhh shoot.
I didn't know, when I wrote that--that the contest was already over.
Sigh. I'm such a country mouse that I thought it wouldn't happen until late evening or night. I comfort myself by remembering that you have been kindly excusing my ignorance since 1981. I guess you'll forgive me for being a dolt yet again.
I wasn't offering condolences--only hopeful support.
Rolling my eyes at myself,
Cindy
No Vey! Yes, Vey! No Vey! Yes...
I didn't know this book existed, but this is probably the only time that I can boast about my hometown of Spring Valley, NY while sharing something of interest to our esteemed host and other comic book fans.
http://tinyurl.com/ydvxqnj
His books are available here:
http://rabbisimcha.com/blog/store/
Brian Phillips
Will busy myself with re-entering HE reads 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA before experiencing ALICE. As we know, Harlan Ellison comprehends the material and enlivens characterization when speaking. I hear the TLC. Others can be so dull, one figures reading was merely a job. Must also "cassette-out" on Ben Bova's MARS, which I somehow stalled out on years ago. Believe I attempted following along with the book page by page. Then PRETTY MAGGIE MONEYEYES. Ross Perot: "I'm all ears!"
Avoiding any and all spoilers regarding SHUTTER ISLAND. Would hate knowing any more plot details. Putting on my shutters until premier day, so to speak.
Newly Disovered Favorite
Greetings One and All.
Haven't chimed in much of late, however I wanted to note that I'm in love...with the works of Raymond Chandler! I was sadly unaware of this man's brilliance until I received a tome of his works in my Library of America subscription. I'm knee-deep in The Lady in the Lake right now. Wonderful, wonderful writing. I highly commend it.
Harlan - I'll put it on a CD and drop it in the mail this week. And good work with your weight! Losing almost three stone is no small accomplishment.
Susan - Thank you for the newsy goodness of Rabbit Hole #49!
Doctor Zombie - If'n you haven't availed yourself, the 1987 collection from Comico titled NIGHT AND THE ENEMY gathers the graphic adaptations of five of the Kyben War stories between covers ("Run For The Stars", "Life Hutch", "The Untouchable Adolescents", "Trojan Hearse" and "Sleeping Dogs") and may still be available from HERC - which puts a goober of ducats directly into Harlan's hands.
Want another fix? "The Few, The Proud" in SLIPPAGE.
Got the RH49. Good work. Sorry to hear (again) about the trouble with the computer. I'm glad Steve could help. This is a great issue with lots of What Harlan Is Up To info.
I feel compelled to remark that I wish the essay volume were completely without duplications. I thought Harlan had written enough solid essays to fill another Sleepless Nights(...) and I still had hopes there would be such a book. (The story volumes seem like good ideas if they're significantly less expensive than Essential E. and easier to carry.)
A greatest hits book without The Deathbird? Without Maggie? Depite the essay about Maggie appearing in the other volume? Without...? Harlan, just consult me next time, will you.
The Polish Masters/Discarded DVD is also out on BluRay, as mentioned before. I suspect you guys don't have BluRay yet.
My Suicide director to animate A BOY AND HIS DOG - http://tinyurl.com/yeqhel4
By the way, the original film has a message board: www.allwatchers.com/board.asp?BoardID=4486
Poet Harry Calhoun interview - http://tinyurl.com/ykq8kfn
This paragraph near middle: "And then I finally realized there was one writer that influenced my style more than any other..."
IHNMAIMS game pirated - http://tinyurl.com/yage4lf
This is from the *comments section* of an interview with a book pirate:
"Andrew Porter at 2:01 pm on January 27, 2010
I am the original publisher of THE BOOK OF ELLISON, via my Algol Press in 1978. It is long since out of print. Despite Harlan Ellison claiming that the book was done without his permission, this is not correct—and I still have the cancelled royalty checks to him to prove it. Although I’ve approached Ellison about reprinting it, he refuses to allow this."
Pay The Photographer: The Frugal TIME Cover (and Other Indignities)
http://tinyurl.com/ylm8o7e
Hollywood Fantasies: Ten Surreal Visions of Tinsel Town - Audible Release Date 07-02-09 (apparently a re-release)
http://tinyurl.com/ye85y3h
Top 30 Geeky Writers (Harlan #10) at Geekosystem - http://tinyurl.com/ycbr2bh
PDF-reprints for 99c of Harlan's old adventure magazine stories.
"The Island of Tyooah" http://tinyurl.com/ybxpjyo
"Death Climb" http://tinyurl.com/yl4wxg7
"I just finished a script based off a Harlan Ellison book, Phoenix Without Ashes, which I just turned into Sony. It’s a big movie, and I just turned it in a week ago, but they seem to like it a lot." - David Goyer (Batman Begins) in 2000!
www.nycgraphicnovelists.com/2010/01/blog-post_28.html
First John Dexter novel (edited by Harlan) written by Block and Westlake?
http://tinyurl.com/ydjjkqf
Thank you Harlan Ellison
I see "The Crackpots" is in "Paingod and other delusions". I don't have a copy hereabouts, but I did find that I can purchase a copy of just the story on eReads for two and change. I hope you get the lion's share thereof.
I note it is marked on one table of contents listing as (Kyben), which piques my interest, as I recall you used them before and after their appearance in DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND. IIRC they are the unseen enemy in "Life Hutch".
I even recall around 1975 an issue of ANALOG with a Kyben story. It was different from most of the other stories you published around that time.
By the way, will your Grammy nomination lead to more work as a reader?
Almost forgot: Who is your agent for that sort of work, in case I want to drop a word should the chance present itself? You never know.
Doc. Z.
"... And the award goes 'ptoo' ..."
HARLAN: You have exactly the right viewpoint on this. I love award shows--well, the main four--butI'm reduced, these days, to watching only the Tonys ... and ofyen , not even them. The last time I even watched the Grammys was for the tribute to Warren Zevon, which may give you an idea. This year, of the scant few Grammycategories I cared about, only one of my favored picks won (the Derek Trucks Band, for Always Free), so my disinterest was fully repaid.
I just truly wish that there were a larger pool to pick from; that these things not be limited to the bestseller lists in each genre. When a platinum record is a "surprise upset" win, then you know something is off. How I would love to see Voltaire, or the Indigo Girls, or Monte Montgomery, or Popa Chubby, or other acts who put out great albums last year get nominated, let alone win.
In short (too late), I'm very glad for, and quite envious of, your enjoyable outing.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time HE! Although i'd have liked it better if you'd actually won :) Just got my RH. I loooved the editorial joke about the rain in L.A. Epecially since I know Susan's from the UK!
I think Apple Stores have the best reusable plastic shopping bags. Double thick and drawstring. I use them to keep stuff dry if i get caught in the rain on my bicycle.
Kristin
Sounds like you had a wonderful time HE! Although i'd have liked it better if you'd actually won :) Just got my RH. I loooved the editorial joke about the rain in L.A. Epecially since I know Susan's from the UK!
I think Apple Stores have the best reusable plastic shopping bags. Double thick and drawstring. I use them to keep stuff dry if i get caught in the rain on my bicycle.
Kristin
Comedian Dov Davidoff has a pretty cool routine about "crazy people" in Hollywood, and some interesting advice: "Say crazy stuff back. They freeze. They don't know what to do. This guy came up to me and said, 'Hey, man, Jesus is comin'!' 'Bird in the hand's worth two in the bush, apple juice, AAAHHHH!' He goes, 'No, I said Jesus is comin'!' 'How the hell am I supposed to eat soup without an envelope?' That guy snapped out of it. He said, 'My bad, I'm goin' back to work.'"
Speaking of which, I had a banner week--TWO job interviews within 24 hours of one another! Wow! Unfortunately, I'm convinced that my sensitive personality and fragile mental state will crack within hours of assuming either position (one is part-time typing in a workers' comp office and the other is a six-day/nine-hour-per-day BUSY front desk job). Not that I know if I'll even get the chance, as this was just Part One of a two-part interview process for both jobs. More wait and see.
Oh, and Harlan? I think I found ten of your forty pounds. It was kind of a reverse "Doctor Who" Adipose situation--I thought I heard it squeezed under the door one night (there is quite a big gap there). Thought it was my imagination. Fell back to sleep. Woke up with a gut. And no Doctor in sight to help, either.
Harlan Loses 40lbs!!
Who gives a shit about awards with news like THAT!
Last time you had a face-to-face conversation with me, you noted you were a good 40lbs overweight.
So, this is the best news I've seen here, ever!
Your longevity means a LOT to many of us here, you understand??
Harlan,
I love LOVE your amazing description of the grand fête last night. Tonight my heart and thoughts are with you and your bride. It is so true that nomination for such an honor among such a company is a lifetime achievement.
Oh and forty pounds! You've lost forty pounds!! THAT is outstanding!! So good for you!!!
So happy and proud for my friend,
I'm still,
Cindy
SUGGESTION TO DOCTOR ZOMBIE
"Act crazy in a crazy world."
If you have time/interest, go find my novelette "The Crackpots" from, oh, I think, 1955 or '56. Re the current discussion.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
SUGGESTION TO DOCTOR ZOMBIE
"Act crazy in a crazy world."
If you have time/interest, go find my novelette "The Crackpots" from, oh, I think, 1955 or '56. Re the current discussion.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
FinderDoug, BabySweetie
I would loooooooove to have it for the files. Thanks for offering. As always, you d'good guy.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
THE GRAMMY WIN
Yes, I know.
Do not waste space or emotion with condolences. I am just fine with it.
I had a couple of my own favorites--neither of whom happened to be me, right from the git-go--but it has been a keen-o hoot of a ride, and you'll just have to take my sincere smiling word on this: I am copacetic with the way it turned out.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Nice update from the nominees gala!
Thank you for the update from the soirée, I am glad that you had a good time and I am sorry that Ed Asner or Nelson Mandela did not win. I haven't heard Buck Howdy's Grammy-winning recording, but I think I speak for everyone that he hit his peak with the creation of "Git Smart".
Anxious as always to read/hear your new work,
Brian Phillips
P.S. I'd love to hear a new version of Clark Terry's "Mumbles" that ended with "...Limbaugh"
Dear Harlan: Thanks for the report m'dear!! Glad you and Susan had fun last night with all the music-folk and the food at the Grammy jamboree...they do put on a very classy bash for the nominees as I recall, and everybody is surprisingly mellow and friendly. I envy you your chat with Cohen tho'...
xx
cc
The film Inglorious Basterds is primarily a Jewish rape fantasy, Tarantino is Jewish, in which the actor Brad Pitt, known for his multi-ethnic adopted children, bodily violates and sexually humiliates a blond actress with the German last name of Kruger….
HARLAN - Sounds like a fabbo time. Clark Terry - man, can he blow.
I did a web capture of the audio from the ceremony - the announcement of the nominees in your category and the winner - if you'd like it for your archive. We're full service here in the Fortress of Findertude, or whatever the hell you want to call it.
BREAKING NEWS ... BREAKING NEWS ... BREAKING NEWS ...
And the Grammy winner in the category of Best Spoken Word Album for Children is ... "Aaah! Spooky Scary Stories and Songs," Buck Howdy.
Just announced.
Meeting Of Minds
Sorry, Jan, yes "Gerrold" and it was a typo and yes David Gerrold is one of Harlan's friends.
Blood is obviously the one sane character in that world, as far as we know. Dogs have such a way of getting under our skin. When I lived with my sister for about two years in the mid-nineties she had a puppy given to her that I got to know very well. I had been around the dog only a few times in the past 14 years, yet when I heard the dog had died, rather peacefully in her sleep at sixteen years of age, it hti me very hard.
I think if there is any truth to any "psychic" stuff, then there has to be something of a mental connection between us and dogs.
The reason for Gerrold reportedly writing the fifth Chtorr novel in "First Person Psychotic" (and I have NO evidence he actually uses that term, so I use it advisedly and charily) is that the narrator is in a world that is so changed from "normailty" that his only survival tactic is to be as"insane" as the world he finds himself in. That was the sense in which I meant the narrator of IHNMAIMS is "insane". As an survival method.. I would have to reread the story to say more, but I did'nt mean to say that the narrator is "psychotic", which of course I implied, so sorry about that.
I wish someone would bring back the old "Meeting Of Minds" (title?) that Steve Allen did. I would like to see it done with a miz of real living people and actors playing historical personalities. My idea of a good mix would be Harlan Ellison, Benito Mussolini, Charles Darwin, H. G. Wells and Jacques Barzun.
Honorable Mention to Camus and Cyrano de Bergerac.
When I win the lottery I will hire Erik Nelson and do it!
The casting would be crucial. I haveno idea who to get. I guess it would be fun to squeeze Shatner into an Il Duce suit...
Doc. Z.
THE GRAMMY RECEPTION
susan looked darling. Very chic, very cute. Heads turned; I was elated.
Having lost 40+ lbs., I wore my good suit, black, Italian, good cut; orange tie against black shirt, orange shoes, orange watch.
We went with our good friends, the estimable actress Ms. Lisa Jane Persky, and her husband, the most excellent musical producer, Mr. Andy Zax, who is also a nominee, for the grand Woodstock box recently released.
The fabulous, old style Wilshire-Ebell Theatre. Gorgeous.
Ran into Leonard Cohen. Hadn't seen him since our days at The Portobello Hotel in London, thirty years afo. Met the trumpet player I've idolized for decades, Lifetime Achievement recipient, Clark Terry. Met up with Weird Al Yancovic, whom I hadn't seen in twenty years, and we schmoozed and had an hilarious photo taken together, our heads touching, him pointing in awe at the Tiffy gold Nominees Medal hanging around my neck. It was a smashing affair. I haltingly confess to having had a really superduper time.
There was enough food at the reception to feed Haiti. Giant tureens of shrimp, logjam bowls of fresh crab, bouef bourginon, caprice, pastas of many sorts. I fressed like a chasser.
I have my medallion, my poster, my frameable invitation and VIP badge. I am deleriously happy. Whatever happens tonight, I shan't be there, but I tell you absolutely true...if either Ed Asner or Nelson Mandela win in my category 77, I will be walking on air. That is some sweet company to be in!
I'd have posted this last night but, even though we got home by nine-ish, we were both wasted.
This "celebrity circuit: requires far more stamina, money and, well, interest than I have to expend on it, to be truthful.
Nonetheless, it was a significant, superduper evening. You'll let me know if anything comes of it, won't you? I presume they''ll be streaming it on the Music Academy website.
By the way, it was a ceremony run with grace, style, ultra-courtesy, and good humor. Every valet, busboy, security man, usher, food-server, or waitress was impeccable and having a good time despite the sheer, crushing, endless labors they had to masnifest. Enormously impressive. Lisa Jane took a photo of me in my orange tie, standing in line with the elegant valets. Many photographers all night. Sorta fun.
All in all, a sweet day both Susan and I shall long remember.
Just wanted to tell you.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Nelson Mandela will probably win, knowing the pc nature of these awards. Doubtful that people even listen to the spoken word albums, they just pick the biggest celebrity name--sadly.
Hillary won, Al Gore won, Bill Clinton, Obama. Real spoken word greatness should be against the grain. Political pablum is not gritty.
The Grammys are mostly now about Beyonce showing us her shimmie and her rack. They shelved jazz and classical. Bored the text messaging, zit popper crowd. It's now about selling light beer and soft core sex.
Harlan is lucky to not get any on him.
I'm rootin' for ya!
Good luck, Mr. Ellison! Please type up more wonderful ways for me to give my head-earned money to you!
Eric Langston
Good Luck to you, Harlan...win or no, however, you're still #1 to me...always will be.
Have fun today, Mr. and Mrs. E. Again best wishes for a victory.
Adam-Troy and Judi, Just wanted to say thank you again for the books. They were lifesavers the two days I was in Norwestern Hosp. I lost myself in Andrea Cort's world. Adam-Troy, I so enjoy your writing. I devoured your short story collections. Baby Girl Diamond moved me to tears, and the other stories were fantastic. Any of you guys out there who haven't read Adam's work should hie thee to his website and find out how to order same. He is a marvelous writer. Hope you and Judi are well.
Diane
Martian Child Redux
Backpedaling here. I'm going to watch MARTIAN CHILD with audio commentaries activated. Must say the acting impressed me, as John Cusack always does. Enjoyed THE ICE HARVEST. I see that Gene Brewer's K-PAX and David Gerrold's novelette were created around the same time: '94 / '95. There certainly is room for CASABLANCA and TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT in filmland. Two THE WICKER MANs - I'm not convinced. Just saying the ringed planet was no Chesley Bonestell. A Bonestellian background, negating the greenscreen, would have gotten any youngster's mental electricity flowing. I didn't relate that the irksome scene took place on a film set. Sorry. So ... I'll check out that novelette. I devoured David Gerrold's tie-in paperback for BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES decades ago. I'm long overdue to move ahead reading his work. Also should mention THE MARTIAN CHILD was viewed after David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY, so that may have influenced my palate. A weird double feature in home viewing experience.
Grammy Time!
Knock em dead Harlan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yea & if you run into Bette Midler tell her I said hi!
Naked In My Head
Look, relax. It's simple why I am me.
I'm Canadian, for Pete's sake!
Like the bitch said,
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
I am so gonna rip off one of that cows books....
James Cameron
If you gotta do a Freud, at LEAST be clever about it!
We should issue free "Make Mine Lame" t-shirts each time Rick identifies the IP address attached to those anonymous posts. Hell, I don't hide MY name any time I bomb.
Ezra,
re: the 'dumbing down':
"The real damage has been done by television. Like David Cronenberg's Videodrome it doesn't matter what you watch, it's the act of watching that does the damage."
Not to quibble, but I disagree with that summation only in that it's a FRACTION of the instrument (TV has ALWAYS been a "dumbing down", yet, previous generations still showed SOME cognitive promise compared to what we've seen in the last decade). I perceive the causes cross-pollinated with tv and computer games (above all), subordinating - almost obversely - substance to action, re-wiring attention signals in the viewing audience; accordingly, media repackages everything in the entertainment markets. We wind up with this viral effect in all mainstream media, that just worsens as it can only GO that way. Once one market - like computer games - dominates public predilection, the rest of the market adjusts to appeal to it.
I guess I had to get into that, because it's really such a symbiotic trap. The brain has to work less with the information as blind impulse takes over. With less to think about people have less DESIRE to think. And THAT'S damn disturbing: You can only wonder what intellectual decay societies will plummet into as this goes on. With all these modern factors, "Videodrome" becomes a much more complex threat!
You can only eat so much popcorn before you're stoked and hacking!
Good luck, Harlan. I hope you win. Diane
Assault and various Pepperages
Guys, I'm not sure what's going on around here. Between an assortment of posts under silly (and thankfully non-deceptive) pseudonyms and a sudden spurt of registrations in the Forums, we seem to have attracted someone's attention.
Nothing mean-spirited. Nothing deceptive (the pseudonyms aren't an attempt to pass themselves off as someone they are not). Nothing, so far, terribly damaging.
Just...interesting.
Keep your ears to the ground, and if anything untoward happens, please let Rick or me know immediately. But as noted, so far nothing more than a scratch of the head.
__________________________________
In what is a recurring mantra for me these days, I have not seen the film based upon David Gerrold's THE MARTIAN CHILD. I have, on the other hand, read it. And can recommend it wholeheartedly.
__________________________________
Tilda Swinton. She's a marvelous actress. Knocked my socks off as the angel Gabriel in CONSTANTINE and the corporate VP in MICHAEL CLAYTON.
__________________________________
Google is not responsible for the dumbing down of American. Nor is the internet. They reflect us.
Television has contributed mightily, but the single greatest contribution to the dumbing down of America is our focus on catering to the Greatest Common Denominator, which is, inevitably, mediocrity.
In order to attract the widest possible audience for advertising dollars or boxoffice revenue, or booksales, or music, etc. Our attention spans have been altered by MTV, and our favorite tv programs are talent contests. The internet is rife with false facts and figures, and an entire political party is dedicated to treating their voter fed pablum, whilst elevating average peuple to high public office. Mediocrity is in. Excelling is out.
The -- *ahem*, no pun intended -- net effect of this is a distrust of intellect and a lack of interest in the gathering of knowledge. Rush has built a vast empire in feeding people their opinions, and telling them how wrong statistics and facts can be. It's true, he tells them, we pay taxes for the betterment of the people of Haiti.
Rail against it and you're labeled a troublemaker. A liar. Not of the Body.
When we accept average as the standard, we get exactly what we asked for. Don't blame Google or the net. It's far worse than that.
That thing you're sneering at is, upon closer inspection, the Man in the Mirror.
Hope the Gator Don't Get Yore Grammy ...
Break a leg, Unk.
Perry
I'm becoming very curious about the news contained in Kaninchenbau Nr. 49.
Doc Zombie: MOUTH/SCREAM didn't have a psychotic narrator. Blood isn't insane. And it's Gerrold. (A typo, I'm sure, but he's a friend of the host.)
Whoever posted as FREUD, how about not hiding behind (your idea of) intellectuals of the past when you criticize (two) people.
RH 49
Current issue has arrived here in southeast Oz.
Prefer to buy my books as ebooks these days, but will happily snag the Harlan 101 & Brain Movies real crack-the-spine volumes as soon as they're available. Looks like a terrific set.
Bests to all,
--tr
Recycling is good for you
From the description here and what IMDB has to say about it, JULIA sure does seem as if it bears somewhat more than passing resemblance to the John Cassavetes written/directed 1980 GLORIA starring Gena Rowlands.
Mention of THE MARTIAN CHILD got me to reading and thinking about David Gerrod. He's supposedly working on the fifth novel in the proposed seven of the "Chtorr" series, which is to be in a style supposedly named "First Person Psychotic". Interesting. Didn't Harlan Ellison pretty much already do that? I refer, of course, to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
A novel effectively done in that style is gonna be interesting.
By the way, could it be argued that Blood is "insane"? Not gonna go into possible reasons, because I have not seen the movie in years, never read the story (I think I will go get an eReads copy, if available, and fix that one ASAP), and besides, I am talking out of my ass.
Just a thought.
Doc. Z.
I ADORE Tilda Swinton. If I ever met her in person, I'd sooner blow my own head off than risk exposing myself as the ignominious fanboy I am. I'd probably mumble something incoherent and embarrassing before hiding in some deep dark hole and wait for starvation to claim me. I can't even muster up the courage to see JULIA; I'd feel like a homeless bum attending a performance of MADAME BUTTERFLY.
Tilda Swinton; now there's a real-life Galadriel.
Rabbit Hole came to Medina yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.
Why blame Google? Google is an mechanism, matters how it is used.
--------------
Steak and lobster at the teaparty convention, where Reichlady Palin gets the hundred thou push fee. Not a very flyover Country dish. Golden Corral this aint, beyond the dead beev.
---------------
Paranoia can be a good thing, but in this sense it goes wayyyy tooo farrr:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1hyqA6UTY&feature=player_embedded
I still think this is our buddy Cynic. haha.
Roger Dean
Oh yeah, Ezra! I flashed on that briefly while I was watching the movie and then promptly forgot it.
As a confirmed Yes and Gentle Giant fan, I owned vinyl copies of some of those albums, as well as a large softcover collection of Roger Dean's record album artwork, back in the mid Seventies.
Last night I received an email from the composer of the "Gulliver" work, who's still in Budapest working on a project with the opera there. He said he listened to a recording of last Friday's concert and loved my performance. He would like to include the piece on a CD collection of his compositions eventually and wants me to be the Gulliver on it!
I wouldn't blame Google too much for "dumbing down" or short attention spans.
The real damage has been done by television. Like David Cronenberg's Videodrome it doesn't matter what you watch, it's the act of watching that does the damage.
John Coulthart, wonderful artist and sometime poster to this very site, has pointed out in his blog that the biggest influence on AVATAR is not literary but visual. Namely the work of Roger Dean, responsible among other things for those YES album covers from the seventies. It's all there, the floating mountains and the dragons with saddles.
http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2010/01/24/roger-dean-artist-and-designer/
Today's Great Movie You Haven't Seen: JULIA (2008)
Not to be confused with the '70s Lillian Hellmann adaptation with Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda, 2008's JULIA is a gritty crime drama / character study about a bitter, cynical woman (Tilda Swinton) whose life is a series of alcoholic blackouts and drunken one-night stands until she allows herself to be roped into a half-baked plan to kidnap a rich man's grandson. She is no criminal mastermind. In fact, she's downright incompetent. The plan, nebulous in the extreme, goes awry early on, and it's clear that she never had any adequate plan for returning the kid and getting away with the money. Things get even worse -- almost as bad as they can get -- in the final third, when the intervention of other criminals leaves her the only hope for the kid's life. The final thirty minutes are terrifying. This is an unbelievably tense, persuasive thriller, with a knockout lead powerformance. Swinton, who has a superficial resemblance to Cate Blanchett that led me to some confusion in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (which featured both of them), possesses an elegant, unconventional beauty that has led to her playing a lot of ethereal and elegant roles; not here, where she's car-wreck magnetic as a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed drunk riding the edge of sociopathy, and is often shot in the most unflattering light possible -- she achieves "hag" even when many other shots reveal how well she cleans up. JULIA had a reputation as one of the best unseen films of its year, and it earned its reputation. A-TC begs you to check it out on DVD.
RH 49
The latest RH looks great. Thanks for the great publication, Susan.
Susan, received RH #49 today. Another great issue! I'm looking forward to Harlan 101 and Brain Movies. Cafe Press has done numerous Babylon 5 related titles.
David
Martian Child
I just saw my first "family film" since being a child and watching Disney's THE BOATNIKS, (excluding GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE), a dvd called MARTIAN CHILD, with John Cusack as a science friction writer named David Gordon (widower) who adopts a little boy. They tried to get me crying within the first fifteen minutes - music / dialog / cuteness and all. Yikes!
There is a scene where John Cusack speaks with a guy about something, can't remember what, but there are a buncha Klingon-like people in the background all fightin' swords 'n' weaponry stuff, fake rain pouring down. So laughable, it seemed like a Max Fischer stageplay out of RUSHMORE! There were C-stands and Arri lights about, but then the revealing disclosure that this was in fact a family film:
Instead of a green screen back ready for compositing, there was a crappily illustrated ringed planet. Now that is for kids, 'cause kids may need the instant gratification. Story elements so similar to K-PAX I couldn't believe they passed it off. A David Gerrold novel was adapted, but I'm not sure of all the details. Point, though, is that parents sit in theaters and go "Sheeesh!" silently as the more intricate elements of a family film go flying over their childrens' heads. I must remember, stay away from Family Films.
#49
From Seattle: The rabbit has a long mustache. Number 49 arrived today and is doing well.
Thanks!!
Monomaniac du jour
The bizarre post earlier today reminds me of the time I responded via post to a letter in a fanzine sometime in the early Eighties. The original letter to the editor had made some bizarre historical point regarding the Second World War. So I wrote in a short letter to the ed. pointing out the nuttiness of the first letter. My letter was published in the next issue, with my address.
Big Mistake.
I shortly afterwards received a thick envelope, bursting with a multiple page, single-spaced letter filled with all sorts of evidence for the original letters assertion, with references, I think there were photocopies of old magazine and newspaper articles attached. The letter itself written in a half pleading style of "See? I did my homework!" mixed with a half-sneering slathering of "Can you truly be so obtuse as not to see the Truth contained in my words?!"
All of it wound up with an invitation to continue our "discussion" by mail.
There be a lot of sad and lonely folk out there. I wish them well, but oh my, please do NOT send any more of them my way.
I'd like to think our Dear Abbe was venturing a failed (!) attempt at humor, but something about the scent of formaldehyde and three day old urine tells me "Abbe" was all too serious.
As Mark Andrus wrote, "Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."
Doc. Z.
AS luck would have it...
....just as I'm beginning to read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for the first time, what do I get on my very own rabbit hole here in this frozen tundra but that little ray of sunshine known as The Rabbit Hole?
Susan: Just got some Rabbity goodness in my mailbox today. Sorry about your computer problems. It's good to have White Knights like Steve around for such emergencies. I hope your cybernetic assistant stays reliable. Damn things can be a pain when they fail on ya.
Stay warm, stay dry -- if possible.
Thanks, nice lady.
And best of luck to Harlan at the Grammys!
Chuck
Don't Forget....
...KAGE BAKER, SF writer supreme, author of the time-travel stories and novels (10 in all, with a sort of a prequel novel on the way in March) which feature "The Company" (not to mention Mendoza, et al); and there are a few scattered, uncollected, novellas and short stories, too. In addition, she's written some fantasy novels and a novel (or is it two?) set on Mars, Bradbury's old stomping grounds. Not too long ago, it was announced that a cancer she had been fighting had metastised (to the brain, etc). Though she kept up the good fight, an announcement was recently made by her sister that Ms. Baker is on the downhill side. She's been around as a writer for slightly over a decade, and as an all-around terrific human (actress, teacher of Elizabethian English, etc) for over five decades. Pick up one (or two or three) of the "Company" novels (anything from THE GARDEN OF IDEN, the spelling is correct, or SKY COYOTE, on through to THE SONS OF HEAVEN, or the forthcoming, steampunkish, NOT LESS THAN GODS). I'm pretty sure you'll dig 'em. (Other than Joe Haldeman and Connie Willis, can't think of many who have brought such panache, good humor and adventure to this oft-used SF trope in modern times). Not sure a deluge of condolences or such via email would do her much good now. But pick up a book by Kage Baker and see if that doesn't keep her in your heart for a while. (An original story in her collection, BLACK PROJECTS, WHITE KNIGHTS, is entitled, "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing" -- I like to think the title is a tip 'o the hat to HE, thus the tenuous connection here).
And whilst everyone is tossing out literary references in their subject lines (when mentioning the arrival of the latest HERC, don't forget: Run Rabbit Hole (49), Run. (A bit of levity after the news above seemed appropos).
The Rabbit Who Came In From The Cold
RH49 made it to Rochester today through the lake-effect storms. Wunnerful, wunnerful - thank you as always for the news worth reading & waiting for.
The Crying of Rabbit Hole 49
Susan: The latest newsletter arrived in my mailbox here on the Right Coast today - loved it. (I was particularly tickled by the news about BRAIN MOVIES.)
As always, thank you for all that you do.
Cameron -- and the IDiot below
I haf only vun qvestion for ALL der Weberderlanders: Who ist REsponsible for lettting "abbe" (normal?), the Kaptial-schlinging IDiot below, out of their psyche (und vhen vill you put it back in)?
As for herr Cameron, if you read the interview in "Playboy," it is sehr easy to determine -- from his openly atagonistic ahnswers -- that he ist vut vee in Zzzychology call, a punk mit a gip on his zhoulders. Ya, he hass helped create zum werry gutt, entertaining, fil-ums, but zumwhere along zuh line of childhood development, he fell out of der oven und his _super-ego_ was only half-baked.
Shtill, as much ass it pains me to ahgree mit sumthing Mr. Perry (who alzo vuss alzo removed a bit before za baking timer vent off) says, Mr. Cameron does, indeed, know zumting about making fil-ums.
zank you, gut nacht, und gesundheit!
Siggy
Replying
Brian Phillips - Thanks for the correct quote.
------------------------
Adam-Troy Castro - I agree with you. HURT LOCKER is my Oscar pick too.
Rabbit Hole, Grammys, u.s.w.
Sorry I haven't been around much, but our never-ending health issues have been, well....never-ending.
Susan: Rabbit Hole 49 has made it to the Cleveland area. Wonderful job, and under such pressure! I tip mine chapeau in your direction.
Harlan: Good luck at the Grammys. You've got some incredibly stiff competition there, but, truly, yours was a masterful reading. In the combined York/Ellison package, yours was the superior. How cool is that?
Haven't seen Avatar. Probably won't. Due to the aforementioned neverendinghealthissues, we don't get out as much as we used to, and given a choice between Avatar and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," we felt there was no choice to be made. When "Parnassus" ended, I wanted to stay in the theatre to watch it again. It's that good. It's his best since "Brazil." Higher praise then that, I haven't got.
So I stayed home, dug out my yellowing copy of the April 1957 issue of "Astounding Science Fiction," and reread "Call Me Joe" instead. Not Poul's finest work, but Anderson wrote an enormous pile of excellent work. And if a comparison must be made, go to http://www.majipoor.com/pimage/p0000205.jpg and look at THAT alien. The picture's a lot lighter than the original cover, but is that a well-imagined critter or what?
Ain't nothin' like the real thing!
dreams with teeth dvd
BONEHEADS!!! Has no one watched? or READ?!! The NY world's fair date I put in last post was WRONG!!!! How many clowns noticed? TV was introduced as an "educational tool!!!" at that fair in FLUSHING, NY and since has managed to become a MEDIUM and thereby very nearly FLUSH the last of the dinosaurs who were "WELL-READ".
(I had a library card at 9. began "studying" at that library, literally, by picking a subject and reading ALL the books there. Parapsychology and Freud came at 11. AGAIN DANGEROUS VISIONS came at 12. THERE WERE NO SHOCKS OR SURPRISES, I had been reading "adult" books since I was 7 like my dad the dentist's medical books, which I understood, having taught myself to read before age four, but the first book I truly read and loved was THE WIZARD OF OZ at FOUR in case you give a shit...MAGNET PROGRAM guinea pig from 5th grade till the program bored me. Dropping out of a high school that was ill-equipped to educate a self-educated person followed at 17, not surprisingly. oh-and I READ HE's ORIGINAL city on the edge of forever, AND read the PLAY that was based on it that WON AWARDS for HE before I was 13).
Wasn't the WEB for educational purposes, too?. See what happened to tv.... GET IT YET, KIDS? the reason you DON'T have that answer is-1. you didn't watch the video where HARLAN HIMSELF mentioned the correct date (that part came about 20 minutes AFTER I posted last post while watching on-NO! NOT A TV SET!!!DO NOT OWN ONE!!!!-but on a PORTABLE DVD PLAYER. the same one I watched SOYLENT GREEN on (again!) yesterday, putzes!!!!
2. you have the IQ of a guppy with degenerative brain disease. Did you NOT EVAH GET LEARNIN' from UNCA HARLAN?????
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU! Educate yourself...WITH BOOKS!!!!!!!
Screw all the trees that died for those pages, HARLAN is worth the whole National Forest not only paperwise, but as a NATIONAL TREASURE YOU YOTZES!!!
HERC
Susan,
Thanks, but it's ok. I'll just get another order for the full amount; it's really no big deal. I appreciate the offer, though.
Everyone Else,
Has anyone read "Is Google Making Us Stupid" over at http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google ? It's a great piece about an issue near and dear to our hearts: how the Internet is changing how people read, with a slight slant towards the negative. The short version is that the bite-sized nuggets of information people get from the web is giving everyone shorter attention spans with less concentration, absorption and reflection. Give it look, if you're interested.
-Kristian
RH 49 spotted in Arlington
Susan,
Great intro. Today has been crap, and reading your intro was the first out-loud laugh I've had.
-Keith
Sara--new Rabbit Hole on the way to current address.
Kristian--If you already HAVE the $8.00 money order, I'll just adjust the number of issues. Really, no problem.
With all best--Susan
Duane--Your membership is still current.
All best--Susan
SMALL NOTES
1. Charlie Petit: Thank you. Susan conveyed the assurance. As always, you are a Top Guy.
2. Just in case anyone grows expansive and extrapolative, in any way spinning off what I ACTUALLY (and ONLY this, totally, universally) SAID ... this is ALL ever said on the subject by Harlan Ellison:
"I have seen AVATAR."
Nothing beyond that.
3. Susan and I may likely go to the Nominees' Reception for the Grammys tomorrow, if I'm up for it, but as they only give non-Academy nominees one (1) ticket, I will definitely NOT be going to the deal on Sunday. I have two excellent friends who are also nominated ... Andy Zax and Patton Oswalt ... and even though the stringent rules of the Grammys prevent me from sending "an Ellison rep" to accept, in the WHOLLY UNLIKELY event that someone other than my pal, Eddie Asner, or David Hyde Pierce, or the glorious Nelson Mandela wins (and there are three more of us in that category), I've asked Patton to accept in my absence, if he can get through the pillboxes and machine-gun nests to leap upon the stage and to snatch the award.
4. Short of the above insane scenario, I have MY fingers crossed for Andy and Patton. As for me, I know I'm shaking the ooze off the oldest disingenuous planarian worm of a cliche when I say this but, s'help me, I am righteously HONORED to be in that finalist posse that forms Category 77. Win, no win, it has been peaches smiling at having had a Strong Third Act.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
Avatar
I feel about this whole Avatar deal and whether it's good or not. In the end though, I don't care. I'm only worried that people will stop considering movies without gigantic budgets. Wait-a-minute! Those kind of people are dumbshits! Nevermind, I don't care about what they think, except I'm surrounded by dumbshits everyday! Arrrrrgh!
However, I will give a bit of credit to James Cameron for making his film visually pleasing; that aspect isn't practically ground-breaking, but it is a BIG step-up compared to the last decade of films which desperately tried to make itself look serious by coloring itself dull and whatever inbetween.
There is ONE thing I will bite on; the fact that the Na'vi are UGLY, and uninspired. Putting cat faces on human heads? C'MON. That's the kind of stuff that makes me wanna look away. OH GOD, that just reminded me of furries.
If you disagree and/or was offended, are you a Na'vi?
I'm inclined to brand Cameron as something of a freak.
It doesn't take a shit-load to place within the titles, "from a story based on..."
With the incredible wealth he had to have accumulated from his successes, you'd THINK Cameron could allay any concern that he may have to pay an author for the credit.
I happen to think he even goes to some material in public domain, and STILL he won't credit the source.
So, either he's a freak or he has an issue far beyond my divining rod.
Anyone here who might know him...WHAT'S his problem here?
Rabbit Hole
It hit my mailbox today. Terrific job! Sorry to read about the computer crash and resulting loss.
(Carefully avoiding the *V*T*R/J*M*S C*M*R*N debate)
For the first time, Cris and I can actually claim friendship with four -- count 'em FOUR -- Grammy nominees. (None of which you'll see on the nighttime broadcast. But still. We're proud of each and every one of them.)
______________________________________
This is, in no way -- utterly and completely -- a threat or comment or call to action (taking notes DHS?).
But I saw a debate on tv this morning related to the murder of the abortion doctor in Wichita. The killer was found guilty, which is as it should be, IMHO.
The murderer claimed his actions were driven by an urgent need to save the lives of unborn children.
Had he been found not guilty, as was the fervent hope of countless conservatives and abortion opponents around the nation, would the following also be cause for murder: Any senator or reprresentative who opposes Healthcare reform????
45,000 people die each year for a lack of healthcare coverage. The entire Republican side of the aisle is opposed to making the necessary improvements which would help save many of those lives. Thousands of them every year.
Is that not as urgent an agenda as the abortion debate??? Is the life of those who die from a lack of care any less valuable in the eyes of God than you claim for an unborn fetus?
So why the hypocrisy?
(Yeah, it's rhetorical question, but why aren't we ALL asking it of the people who oppose reform???)
____________________________________
Human Chimes. I've known a few.
And Steve Evil's neighbor may soon qualify as one.
(Not going to explain this comment other than to say this is what you guys are missing unless you visit the Forums more regularly!!!)
Ookery
"Ook ook?" Oh, dear, Ben. If I were doing that sort of thing with *my* mother, I certainly wouldn't come here and blurt it out in public like you did. Unless, of course, you mean "Ook *ook,* with the accent on the "ook," in which case it's your sister. Marginally better, I suppose, though she does seem a bit young to be doing that.
If you are gonna speak Neanderthal, you need to brush up on it. Your pronunciation is terrible.
I have admired and respect our Esteemed Host for a long time, as a man who talks the talk (writes the write) and walks the walk. If I were an anti-intellectual with low-brow tastes, the works of Ellison wouldn't be on my reading list, now would they?
As Barber pointed out, sometimes the vegetables -- but sometimes the cotton candy.
I don't expect that HE has to dodge motorboats on his morning stroll, and if his informed opinion runs contrary to mine, it doesn't mean that his is right. (Mine, either, but if I didn't prefer mine, I wouldn't have it.)
I also don't recall seeing that the cover charge to get into this place included A) slavishly agreeing with everything the host says and B) leaving your balls and backbone in the car.
Last time I looked, Unk was perfectly capable of taking care of himself in a verbal dust-up, and if he wants to give me shit for talking out of turn in his living room, we can discuss it.
For those of you who think Cameron is a thief, I won't disagree. Or that he might be less than pleasant to work with? I can't say yea or nay, because I don't know. But what I can say is that if you believe that ole Jim having the #1 and #2 blockbuster movies of modern times is, you know, a *coincidence?* You need to get some new drapes, because you have obviously been smoking yours.
If you don't care for the proletariat, that's your right, but while Mencken's quote is cute and sometimes true, I give the great unwashed masses more credit than that, at least some of the time. (I think the real boneheads amount to 27% of the voting population, and I use that number as my criterion because that's how many people still approved of George W. Bush at the end of his second term.)
Cameron might be many things, but he does know how to make movies that put asses in the seats. Best picture? Maybe. Best screenplay, certainly not. Do you know the difference? Citizen Kane? Casablanca? Hell, no. But Cameron's boat and starship are E-ticket rides, which is, I believe, what I've been saying. And that folks who come here and allow that the Avatar visuals aren't much aren't from this planet. Yes, yes, someday the EFX will be dated and old-hat. And someday the last star will wink out and it will be a cold universe, but since I probably won't be around to see that, I'm going to try to enjoy the stuff on my plate right now. Sometimes that's gonna be cotton candy.
Perry
"I'll be a little pissed if the Oscar goes to it instead of THE HURT LOCKER, but beyond that I think the voices tearing it down have become a mite shrill."
Excuse me, let me just put on my favorite monocle...
(speaking through nose) Oh, we are so DRRRREADfully sorry for wearing out your patience, Mr. Castro. Heaven forbid the individuals who choose to defend said potboiler are TWICE as virulent as we may appear to you. However, I confess that I do despise being a GHASTLY bore.
I cannot speak for my colleagues, but henceforth, I shall forbid myself from speaking of Sir Cameron's digital fantasia ever again. I would be more than welcome to return the topic of our discussion to any and all material conceived by our Esteemed Host. I have always been a sincere enthusiast of SPIDER KISS, for example...
Hi, I'm Billy. I've occasionally lurked here for some time now. I'm a teacher in southeast Asia.
I have a thought to throw out to y'all; If H. P. Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard had lived lives of normal length, they would have died rich and famous.
It's an odd rock we dwell on.
Dougie, let's be honest, we only care about two awards: Harlan's for spoken word and Prince for Future Baby Mama. Doubtful Prince will win but our Liege could have the luck of the irish with him, beyond him not being Irish.
The Pre-Telecast Grammy Ceremony
Okay – we all know that Sunday’s prime time Grammy telecast is going to focus on the usual big awards – Song and Album of the Year, Mal and Female artist, yadda yadda – and loud live performances. Obviously, the other gajillion awards are handed out at the earlier, untelevised event, because things like “Best Album Notes” and “Best Instrumental Album, Cajun/Zydeco” aren’t ratings winners.
Unfortunately, among the awards that I expect will be given out at the Pre-Telecast ceremony will be “Best Spoken Word Album For Children”.
However…
The Pre-Telecast Ceremony from the Convention Center is being streamed live at the Grammy.com website starting at 1 PM Pacific Time (that’s 4pm for us, Cramer), so if you’re at home, around the computer, and want to share in the anticipation and potential jubilation, you can be a digital fly on the wall.
Press release is here: http://www.grammy.com/news/52nd-grammy-pre-telecast-to-stream-live
HARLAN: Are you attending Sunday? Have you prepared a few words? You may be thinking ‘slim to none’ on your chances; but to be honest, you tell a story better than just about anyone I can think of, and I don’t think winning in this category is such an outrageous idea. Hell, I’ll clap for Tink if I think it’ll make a difference.
So go get ‘em, Harlan.
At least make it a tie for first with Ed Asner…
Florence and the Machine
ALL: This may (more probably wont) serve as a conversation changer: I know I'm probably late to the party, but have any of you out there heard music by Florence and the Machine? I have, and I Lllllllike it! Check out their debut album "Lungs" if you haven't already (they're a cross between soul and indie rock -- and her voice is reminiscent of Sinead O'Connor with just a touch of Tori Amos and/or Kate Bush).
Cheers,
DTS
Various
AVATAR wasn't actively offensive to me, like ARMAGEDDON and VAN HELSING and LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN were. It was a potboiler, undistinguished in any sense but the visual, but otherwise diverting and worth the three hours. I'll be a little pissed if the Oscar goes to it instead of THE HURT LOCKER, but beyond that I think the voices tearing it down have become a mite shrill. Seriously; it's not important enough to have earned nonstop scorn.
*
Useful phrase that popped into my head upon waking.
"Human Chime."
Definition. The sitcom character whose sole purpose in life is to show up once every episode and belt out the catch-phrase that always unaccountably makes the studio audience vomit with laughter. Often delivered by an actor who has then completely exhausted his range. Not to be mistaken for a character who has a catch-phrase but is by any fair estimate a much richer mine of comedy: i.e. Homer Simpson, Maude Finlay, Archie Bunker, Larry and his Brothers Darryl. To be a true human chime, the character must have little purpose other than showing up to say his one signature phrase, and his appearances must all be structured around its delivery (often followed by a triumphant exit, to rapturous cheers).
It would be nice to declare human chimes mythical, but they do exist in real life. We all have some acquaintance with a comeback s/he regards as impossibly witty, and that s/he employs as an all-purpose punchline until everybody around them wants to kill themselves. I know a lady who employed "T.M.I" for years on end, to the point that her entire circle of friends heaved a sigh of relief when she finally dropped it from her personal rotation. THE OFFICE is quite accurate in its portrayal of Michael Scott, the unpleasant work acquaintance who, among many other sins, suffers a mild version of the disorder, so wed to the catch-phrase "That's What She Said" that he cannot physically restrain himself from using it every opportunity.
Still, in real life a human chime usually possesses other redeeming characteristics. A sitcom human chime is a pathetic person who spends his or her life lurking outside doorways, carefully monitoring the conversations of those on the other side, in expectation of the one perfect moment to storm through the doorway and spout the one phrase that justifies his or her existence on the planet. The most extreme give the impression that they have no friends, no jobs, no hobbies, no interests, no past and no future: just the privilege of entering a room long enough to accept the anticipatory applause, do a two-minute bit, belt out the same line s/he has belted out a thousand times before, and then leave. At which point they presumably return to their empty homes, contemplate the arid wasteland of their lives, and drink themselves into oblivion.
Snobs and Elitists, Oh My
RE: Bambi-
Your mom ought to have been (softly) "bitch" slapped (note the quotes, she's likely a lovely woman in reality, no offense intended!) for sllowing all of that crap about the movie be said while five year old you listened. Most especially that bit about good theatre. I hope she was young, relatively immature and recently graduated from a Liberal Arts college. All of that, while not quite excusing her, would at least make the stupidity of the statement slightly less egregious. She was likely afraid of being thought something less than "cool" to her other adult companions. Stupidity often comes from such peer pressure. I hope she grew up after that, and even perhaps apologized. Had I done something as cruel to my son, I would never get over it. Ah well. I probably did something as bad!
As for Avatar:
Of course most of your Avatarophobes hereabouts are a bunch of high faluting elitists.
Let's see now? Hmmm, yep: This board is run for one Harlan Jay Ellison, and those who rather enjoy his style of story and "art". Said Ellison isn't too shy (ahem!) about being an unabashed and pure-blooded Elitist. He likes what helikes, pulls no punches on what he hates, and he has standards.
His distaste for certain things is so well known it's bordering on simplemindedness if you can be shocked by it, approaching rudenss to complain here of it. If you knowingly go to an orgy, you may see some uglies bumping. Don't turn into Prudence Makegood at the first sight of flesh.
I am gonna see Avatar tomorrow. I will do my best to have a good time and eat some popcorn. I don't care what some elitist thinks of it, because they don't live in my head. I also won't bore or annoy them with defenses of that they dislike. After all, common courtesy and good sense.
By the way, Star Wars did break new ground in film. It was the first Space Opera film to take the tropes of Space Opera seriously. You knew that the moment that humongous star destroyer filled the screen as it overtook the tiny rebel blockade runner in that magnificent opening scene.
As for it being a great film, I prefer my own version of that lame quote: "Some are born to greatness, some earn greatness, and others get it a hefty discount!"
Science Fiction Fans in 1977 had been waiting their entire lives for someone to put some small piece of Doc Smith style "Planets powered and armed as only planets can be!" onto the screen. Given that by Geoerge Lucas, greatness was affered up by grateful legions of fans, heftily discounted
Doc. Z.
Ben says: "Tell you what: If ten years down the line, AVATAR has stood the test of time and is still regarded as much a milestone as something like STAR WARS, I'll happily eat crow."
Oh, it's already on a par with _Star Wars_: simple and derivative story beefed up with innovative special effects that breaks all box office records? Other than the sequels, it's matched that already.
Whaddya we set the bar a little higher? _Citizen Kane_. _2001: A Space Odyssey_. _The Seven Samurai_. _Pinocchio_. _Birth of a Nation_. Those are _serious_ milestones.
This is a true story. When I was five, I went to see “Bambi” with my cousin and her family. I was completely enchanted. It was the first time I’d been to a real movie, and I loved everything about it. I laughed at Flower’s antics. Watched in awe as Bambi’s father strode across the screen. Cried, devastated, when Bambi’s mother died.
On the way home, I sat in the back seat and listened to the adults in the front seat rip the movie to shreds. I don’t remember everything they said - just that they thought it was awful - except for one thing: my cousin’s mother said something about how stupid the stag, Bambi’s father, had looked. I couldn’t stand it any longer and said, “I thought the stag was beautiful!”
She responded with something along the lines of, “Oh Sara, don’t be such a baby,” and “You’re old enough now to learn the difference between good theater and bad.”
I was FIVE.
I’ve been having the same sort of experience with “Avatar”. The first time I saw the movie (at the IMAX in 3D), I was completely enchanted. The experience was so encompassing that I felt I was there. I knew the story, knew what was going to happen every step of the way and didn’t care.
But people whose opinions I respect are tearing the movie apart, which has made me reticent to say anything about it. I no longer care. The script was pedestrian. Who cares? The movie was extraordinary. I’ve seen it twice (the IMAX is the BEST way to see it), and have every intention of going again, before it leaves.
Barber: I prefer Robin Williams' quote, to wit: "Some are born to greatness, some achieve it, and some get it as a graduation gift."
Right up there with his all-time best line ever: "God gave man a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time."
Well, if you want to get nasty...
"Bunch of fuckin' snobs."
Tell you what: If ten years down the line, AVATAR has stood the test of time and is still regarded as much a milestone as something like STAR WARS, I'll happily eat crow.
Until then, you're a beetle-browed Neanderthal. Ook ook.
To: Mark, re: "Rat Hater"
Mark-
Thank you for your response. I never got to read THE DEADLY STREETs (obviously), but will now get my hands on a copy asap!
Rest in peace, J.D.
Catcher in the Rye was translated by Heinrich Böll and his wife. Great classic here that inspired a few other writers.
--
John Zoeck wrote about Avatar: "A lot...a whole lot...of JOHN CARTER OF MARS."
You are, like, so wrong, John! Cameron himself says:
"Two of the three highest grossing movies of the year were not based on any prior art: Avatar and 2012. (...) You can make money with stuff that's not based on something else!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9iLjzf0AM4 (4:45)
Original quote, I swear.
By the way, J.C. of Mars (Michael Chabon's adaptation for Disney) is in production in London.
--
Obama (I watched parts of the speech) mentioned Germany - sandwiched between India and China - as a major competitor (even the Obama administration sees everyone else as competitors trying to overtake the U.S.) not sitting still (obviously) and making major investments in better infrastructure and education. Uh, no. Last part didn't fit; European countries don't have money to spend on that right now and are allowed only small deficits. But I can see why he had to include Germany - he wants to spend more money on those things and it sounds better if Germany does it too. There were several such oddities in what I saw/heard but I should mind my own business/country.
Salinger. Gone.
"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - Shakespeare
________________________________________
In looking for the above quote, I ran across another famous line from the Bard which reminded me of our friend HARLAN: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."
________________________________________
Obama certainly gave a good speech, and the GOP certainly sat on their hands, even for initiatives they claim to support.
Like Rob, I'm watching.
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SUSAN - Thank you for the shout out in the new RH. 'Twas my honor. I just wish we'd been more successful in retrieving it all.
On the other hand -- and I will not spoil anything, I coulda plotzed when I saw what Webderlander (and friend) JASON DAVIS has been up to. Schmuck never even breathed a word.
(But I couldn't be happier about his new project.)
____________________________________
STEVE PERRY - Um, Beaverton doesn't exactly qualify as "Flyover" country. You're a little too far left and up from that designation.
But yeah, there's a place for cotton candy alongside the veggies.
Bunch of Fuckin' Snobs
Back when it came out, the first Star Wars movie (rejiggered years later to Episode #4, A New Hope) opened at a theater in my home town on a weekday. I had the day off, I was a sci fi guy, so I went round to see it. No line. Bought my popcorn and Coke, went in, sat down ...
When Vader went spinning off into space at the end, I yelled out "Sequel!"
I loved that experience. I don't care how much this makes me part of Mencken's great estupido American public, or who else hated it, them's the facts. I had a fine ole time, just like I had when I was nine and got admitted into the Paramount on Third Street using six Pepsi Cola bottle caps to watch the Saturday morning serial with Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim.
Back to Star Wars: The local paper's movie reviewer went to see it and panned it to a faretheewell. Stupid movie, awful, nobody would go, and if you were foolish enough to want to, hurry, 'cause it'll be gone in a week.
Six months later, when the picture was still playing in the same theater, that critic went back and reviewed it again, unable to understand why the place was full of cheering, clapping audiences, and he panned it even worse. I seem to recall the review mentioning some French film with subtitles playing at an art house in New Orleans that he thought people should drive down and see instead.
Point? Somebody telling you what you should like is a critic. Somebody telling you what people *do* like is a reporter, and like Avatar, us rubes out in flyover country what don't know no better? Why, we sometimes vote with our pocketbooks.
Sometimes those in the intellectual elite lose touch with the common folks. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; however, it's not necessarily a good thing, either.
Living from the neck up isn't always the way to go.
Perry
Salinger was 91, wow!
He had his wish, to die in privacy.
--------------
Everybody go read some Zinn. Think President Palin.
Reply to Wade
From the 2002 Bartlett's Famous Quotations:
"No one in this world, so far as I know...has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."
H.L. Mencken, "Notes on Journalism", Chicago Tribune , September 19, 1926
Right Quote Help
I was discussing a recently released movie with a friend when this quote came up. Who knows what the right H.L. Mencken quote is?
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the -
(a) taste
(b) intelligence
(c) stupidity
(d) mediocrity
of the American public.
I've heard it with all four. Which is right?
Thanks
Just heard J.D. Salinger has died. He was 91.
By the way, for those who, like me, don't live anywhere near the places that NEVERMORE was being performed and want a little taste, a soupcon of Jeffry Combs as Edgar Allan Poe, I recently aquired the DVD of the MASTERS OF HORROR episode, THE BLACK CAT. Combs is only brilliant in this installment. Think of it as Poe's answer to that oh-so-clever question, "Where *do* you get you ideas?" It ain't Schenectady.
Be advised: there are some gruesome images in this episode.
Chuck
AVATAR
My sister wanted to see it for her birthday in IMAX 3D. Not the best thing to watch if one has agoraphobia and vertigo. A lot...a whole lot...of JOHN CARTER OF MARS. Further ,deponent sayeth not.
HERC, Part Two
Argh! My paltry $8.00 money order will have to be increased before I finally send in my subscription to HERC. Thankfully, I stopped in here before mailing it out and saw Susan mention the membership/renewal fee.
A heads-up to Rick (and apologies, since it can be annoying when people point these things out), but the info about HERC listed here: http://harlanellison.com/resources.htm is as follows:
THE HARLAN ELLISON RECORDING COLLECTION is a membership society recording the spoken word. The eight dollar membership fee brings you four newsletters of the Collection and the privilege of obtaining new, never-before-released, top quality records, cassettes, and CDs of Harlan Ellison reading his award-winning stories. To join The Collection, send $8.00 in check or money order to:
The info given on the HERC page itself is right, though. (http://harlanellison.com/herc.htm) That's the problem with having information spread across multiple pages; you always forget to update it in one spot or another, or at least I do.
Of course, it's entirely possible that everything is accurate and I'm just looking at two different things and getting all confused. It wouldn't be the first time...
-Kristian
'OMG. Massive sadness. A great man nobody gave a fuck about. Sniff. I'm shaking.'
I would be one of those nobodies to whom you refer, good sir, and I personally know more than my share of others. Zinn will certainly be remembered by us, at least (as will Roberts and his 4 frat buddies after last week, but not in the manner that they'd likely prefer).
And on that note:
'If there WERE a God, my closing would be, "God help us".'
While mine, on the other hand, would have to be "God help us all in the future!"
Movies is movies
It's always been the same. You get a new tech toy, you figure out how it works without paying a whole lot of attention to making Art with it. You figure out some cool things to do with the new toy, wow the rubes with it unti they get the MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) Effect, and then someone else comes along that grew up with the tech what was new to you and is Old Hat to them, and they start to Make Art with it. Then more New Tech comes along, and off goes the cycle again.
People once would pay a nickel to watch thitty seconds of a street car running up a street and past the camera. When a nickel could buy you lunch, if not a good cigar.
Edison to Melies to Winsor McKay to D. W. Griffith to C. B. DeMille to synch. sound. Then Color. Then Three-D in 1952. Then Wide Screen of every type ending in Cinerama and then the sixties and seventies and all of it came together in Art for a while. Kubrick and young Scorsese, the French, Bergmann and Fellini, Leone and Coppola to name but a few.
Then Lucas and his Whiz Bang Garage Kids married computers to cameras and we went off again. Lucas to Spielberg to Douglas Trumbull and his sixty frame per second wide screen system to IMAX and the beginning of CGI and to ridley Scott and Cameron, and now it's about Steam Engine Time for someone to come along that was born around 1980 and has the MEGO Effect and we'll get some Art again and This Time We Mean It For Sure.
Until the next new tech comes along.
For a time.
Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows. Watch the little birdie, huzzah, huzzah. Get your money down now, because when she sops All Bets Are OFF!
Yes, I went to Film School. "Reality Stops Here." The above is the only thing I learned from it that was worth more than a plugged nickel. Got my moneys worth.
Doc. Z.
Susan,
RH49 has also landed in Orange County. As usual thanks for a slick and professional production. Another subsciption should be heading your way shortly as my latest post brought a request for my middleman services from the UK. It's in the works.
Everyone,
The person in the UK wanting an HERC subscription is also wondering where they might find a UK friendly version of the Dreams with Sharp Teeth DVD. Any suggestions?
Frank,
A sneaker right between the eyes from 65 feet? Maybe this guy should take a little time off from screaming at politicians to talk to the Yankees. That's farther than a pitcher's mound, and a sneaker isn't exactly symmetrical.
As for Zimm I have to admit I wasn't familiar with him before. But the fact that he was mentioned on the NPR station I listen to on the way home and my reading of the link in the post preceding yours makes me think that the phrase "nobody gave a fuck about" is a little overblown. Which is a good thing.
A good day to all here.
Well, Obama's address hit it out of the ballpark as far as I'm concerned.
But...I'm no longer "listening". I'm WATCHING.
From a quiet, cautiously skeptical corner, I'm just gonna watch.
Y'know, I picked up a telling parable last night that will probably stick with me forever.
It lay in a documentary about Nikola Tesla.
Tesla remains one of the great historical figures for me.
He came over when he was young to work for Thomas Edison.
Edison asked him to re-design the company’s electric generators, promising the young inventor a $50,000 bonus. Tesla went on to develop several patents that proved incredibly profitable for the company. He then approached Edison for the promised bonus. Edison quipped, "you have a lot to learn about the American sense of humor". Edison refused to give him the $50,000.
This would prove a foreshadowing of Tesla's "American Dream", for despite his genius, his precognitive insights, and his creativity, he ended up destitute, with capitalist barracudas (including Marconi, who USED 17 of Tesla's patents to come up with the wireless, without a cent to Tesla) profiting off his innovations and discoveries.
This mentality is the very bedrock of American-style capitalism. Conscienceless laissez-faire that places treachery over integrity in the name of profit. Destroy the competition or preclude the chances of competition growing within a certain market. That was the code.
THAT'S the TRUE American story muffled by two centuries of myth-weaving. It's where we came from, and it's what we still face.
The biggest MODERN threat, however, is it seems fewer and fewer are listing to these warnings and pleas. Those who hold real power to enforce the checks and balances (like that ever-reliable Supreme Court of ours, and the Blue Dog Democrats Obama advised tonight to quit runnin' fer the hills) are bought and paid for. That's why "freedom of speech" is fine. Yell all you want: Those who would LIKE to do something about it are relegated to the small office with the water cooler.
So, with that in mind, I'm no longer listening. I'm watching.
If there WERE a God, my closing would be, "God help us".
SUSAN:
Sorry for the delay, busy day selling tools and creams that promise to make women look younger. Some of them even work.
My new address is: 8078 Goshen Road, Malvern, PA 19355
I will be sending a check post haste.
Harlan, we will miss you around here, but the new works are worth the dearth.
I'm sorry, gang - I always feel as if I should post something deep and meaningful when I come in here (and at some point I may actually do that), but right now my head is too full of "this will promote cell regeneration, which in turn will help to erase the fine lines and wrinkles...oh and by the way, this color would look great on you."
I have a job. I like it. I am a happy and thankful - and very lucky - person. For those of you still looking, I am sending my most positive vibes your way.
Agent M1095 Checking In!
Hi Susan, just want to make sure I'm up to date!
**
President Obama's speech: MASTERFUL! Sounds like someone who has learned much in the last year, and who has much to offer in the next, oh, let's say seven or so....
Sledge's book...
Le,
You're absolutely right about Sledge's book. In fact, I read it after Fussell included that exact passage in his book "Wartime". There's even a picture of Sledge in the book. Exceptional and moving.
Frank,
Violence maybe immoral but it can/has be(en)necessary. If somebody had taken the time to put a bullet in Lenin's head long before he had the chance, a few THOUSAND villages would have been saved and a lot of men,women and children would have lived. And you would have never heard the word "Chekist".
Joe
Dear Sara:
If you feel comfortable with giving out your address, you can post it. or, just mail to the HERC address.
Membership/Renewal in HERC is $15.00 for 6 issues. Payable to: The Harlan Ellison Recording Collection, Post Office Box 55548, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413.
New members, start with issue #46--it has an original Ellison essay written for the Rabbit Hole.
All best--Susan
SCOTT CLARK ---- HERC MEMBER #568
Susan just yelled in to me to tell you, you're just fine, subscriptionwise.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
SCOTT CLARK ---- HERC MEMBER #568
Susan just yelled in to me to tell you, you're just fine, subscriptionwise.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
OMG. Massive sadness. A great man nobody gave a fuck about. Sniff. I'm shaking.
Howard Zinn, 1922-2010
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/howard_zinn_his.html
The Gee-Whiz Look Of Awe
Steve Barber: much as I appreciate the magnificent compliment re EMISSARIES (from your lips to God's ears), I should point out that the gee-whiz look of awe at a sight unfamiliar to the character is hardly the kiss of death for versimilitude. I can think of any number of movies where the out-of-town girl arrives in Manhattan and we get a happy montage of her gaping at all the sights. And I remember a key moment from David Lean's A PASSAGE TO INDIA where Edward Fox's character and his fiance take a rest from their drive to a redemptive confrontation, in order to get out of the car and gape at the Himalayas. As long as there are sights in this world that human beings from this world gape at with amazement even if they'v seen those sights reproduced in pictures -- the Las Vegas strip, the New Mexico desert, Ayers Rock, the Great Wall of China, The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, etc. -- I will give a pass to the newcomers to Pandora grinning from ear to ear at the sights of the new world where they've been assigned. Regardless of any other achievements or shortcomings of AVATAR, that's just human nature, and I believe it utterly. Cameron got it right.
Looks like Israel has its own tea party problem:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35095113/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/
Right wing anger at judges in Israel is getting bad. The poor female judge gets a shoe in the face. They better reign in their right wing.
Violence is immoral folks.
I'm not sure if any of you have seen the History Channel tv show PAWN STARS. It is about a pawn shop in Las Vegas where lots of interesting items are brought in. Anyway, one of the episodes this week had something that once belonged to Sir Arthur C. Clarke (I'll say no more). The episode repeats at 10:30 pm (Eastern) on Thursday.
--Grayson
Dear Shagin:
No need to worry about renewing. You're fine. RH #49 is on the way!!! Finally!!!.
With all best wishes--Susan
Craaa-aap
Please insert as Item 3: "Performances from the actors which convey their utter comfort in the world they inhabit. If they look confused or "gee whiz", it detracts from my ability to believe in what they apparently do not.
NOW go to "Leaps forward..."
I think you'll find it makes the comments a bit more...linear.
JAN observed: "Like Zemeckis, Emmerich, and Lucas, Cameron is a director who pushes (or helps push) the envelope of moviemaking technology. It's not a bad thing he gets rewarded - others will take the technology and make better films. Meanwhile, his Titanic is still an amazing achievement."
This is an extraordinarily good point. We still have not seen AVATAR, so I can't address it beyond what I've read, but the film is a major step forward technologically. In its own way it's not too different from TRON, which was only really a "fair" movie -- but it was a major leap of computer animation.
Yesterday I found myself strapped to my dentist's chair to have a mold taken for a crown. If you're there for a longer procedure such as this one (about an hour and a half because of other issues), he has a tv set hanging over the chair, and probably 100 films to choose from. A recent additon is DISTRICT 9, which I selected and greatly enjoyed. Or, enjoyed as much as possible under the circumstances.
And it occurred to me -- and this is where you will see the relevance to a discussion of AVATAR -- that the best SF films must possess three non-negotiable requirements.
1) An excellent script which deals with character growth and not just circumstances. The script must grab your interest, not stretch credulity, and make you care about the characters in the film.
2) A believable world. It cannot be gee-whiz looky the pretty pitchers, it has to be backdrop. This, to me, is the fundamental difference between the "first three" STAR WARS films and the latest STAR TREK film. George Lucas made the special effects the foreground point of interest. The characters were set against an inorganic though eye-popping backdrop. "Lookit this amazing city under the water" Lucas seemed to be saying.
On the other hand, J.J. Abrams never once references the sky cities built into the background of the scene of the young James T Kirk driving across the back roads of Ohio. They simply are there, unobstrusively establishing a background.
I have not seen AVATAR, but I strongly suspect the floating mountains and diving dragons get far more "gee whiz" than "this is the world behind me, if you care to notice".
3) Leaps forward in technology have a way of receding into the background as they become passe. Consider the yawn given shuttle launches by the general public. This year's breakthrough is next year's refuse. (Seriously, how many gasps of wonder has your iPhone elicited lately? Your GPS? Your HDTV?)
AVATAR may be cool and all that, but I'm really looking forward to the person who buys the rights to Adam-Troy's EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD and uses Cameron's technology to give us a living, breathing artificial world of One One One for a few hours of cinematic pleasure.
THAT is what AVATAR portends.
I'm sorry about the U.S. state of affairs - I'm following it to some degree as usual.
Listing favorite "non-SF stories" by Harlan is like listing your favorite Harlan stories beginning with certain letters from the alphabet. What's the point? He's not a SF writer and wouldn't be mistaken for one.
The talk about Avatar is becoming redundant.
Like Zemeckis, Emmerich, and Lucas, Cameron is a director who pushes (or helps push) the envelope of moviemaking technology. It's not a bad thing he gets rewarded - others will take the technology and make better films. Meanwhile, his Titanic is still an amazing achievement. All those directors, like their audiences, are tone-deaf in certain ways but they are part of the fun and variety of Hollywood and bring much-needed cash to Los Angeles. (Yes, I care about Steve's and Duane's future. Harlan can take care of himself, they can't.)
In Germany and everywhere but the U.S./Canada, box office success is measured in attendance figures. It's interesting how in America every year moron movies break artificial records - they're not doing it here. There's no reason to talk about Avatar in particular since it's only another hit movie and there are other movies out.
Every 10 years or so 3-D pops up as a new thing and then disappears until new kids have grown up.
Harlan sighting 2nd post
The link below is to a site known as The Millions, linked through an SFWA update on Facebook. This particular article deals with eBook piracy, and makes mention of Harlan Ellison at the very end.
It was an interesting read despite the prickly mention of the subject matter.
http://www.themillions.com/2010/01/confessions-of-a-book-pirate.html
Sandra
Rabbit Hole #49
Has landed in Glendale! Yippee!
HERC
I can't believe I've never joined HERC. I keep meaning to, but it seems that I've been meaning to for years and years now, so I think it's finally time I stop being a procrastinating cad and actually send in my eight bucks. I'll be stopping by the convenience store on my way home tonight for a money order, finally. I just wish I could pick up a Slush Puppie drink while I'm there, but I think Icee called a jihad on the brand, because I haven't been able to find a Slush Puppie machine in years. Bastards.
-Kristian
A Boy and His Dog and the Rapture...?
A Boy and His Dog to be screened in L.A. on a double bill with a christian documentary, Waiting for Armageddon.
http://io9.com/5457640/cult-scifi-films-secret-christian-connection
Call your House Representative to Support Rep. Alan Grayson
President Obama will deliver the State of the Union address tonight. As he does so, we ought to confront the fact that our system of government faces a grave crisis.
We deserve a country where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by Big Business. But last week's Supreme Court decision in the case Citizens United vs. FEC overturned over a century of precedent and opened the floodgates for unlimited amounts of corporate money to flow into our political system. Shockingly, the court's decision may even allow foreign corporations and large multinationals to manipulate our elections.
Progress on any issue we care about depends upon our ability to stop the corporate takeover of our electoral process. If we do nothing, this ruling has the potential to undermine the very foundation of our democracy.
Representative Alan Grayson has been one the most forceful voices in responding to this crisis. He has introduced a number of bills as part of a "Save Our Democracy" initiative to blunt some of the worst implications of the Supreme Court's decision.
1. The Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act (H.R. 4431): Implements a 500% excise tax on corporate contributions to political committees, and on corporate expenditures on political advocacy campaigns.
2. The Public Company Responsibility Act (H.R. 4435): Prevents companies making political contributions and expenditures from trading their stock on national exchanges.
3. The End Political Kickbacks Act (H.R. 4434): Prevents for-profit corporations that receive government money from making political contributions, and limits the amount that employees of those companies can contribute.
4. The Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act (H.R. 4432): Requires publicly traded companies to disclose in SEC filings money used for the purpose of influencing public opinion, rather than for promoting their products and services.
5. The Ending Corporate Collusion Act (H.R. 4433): Applies antitrust law to industry PACs.
6. The End the Hijacking of Shareholder Funds Act (H.R. 4487): This bill requires the approval of a majority of a public company's shareholders for any expenditure by that company to influence public opinion on matters not related to the company's products or services.
Without these types of laws, it will be even harder for candidates and elected officials to stand up to Big Business. Even before the decision, we too often saw the interests of Main Street subverted in favor of the interests of Wall Street. But with the Citizens United decision now the law of the land, large corporations have the power to spend unlimited amounts of money from their general treasuries to buy elections.
To put things in perspective, the roughly $745 million Barack Obama raised to run for President (which was the most money raised by any candidate ever to run for office in the U.S.) is dwarfed by the $45 billion in profits a single company (ExxonMobil) made in 2008.
We have heard that the Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate will be deciding in the next few weeks upon a legislative package to push in response to the Citizens United decision. We need to ensure they respond boldly.
Please take a moment to call or e-mail YOUR REPRESENTATIVE www.house.gov.
******
Harlan, Rick and Steve (and all other Webderlanders) My apologies for the double post today. I will stay off the Pavvy for a while to make up for it, and I believe that these causes are important enough to stump for them on every forum I visit.
Thank you all.
G.G.
Sandra, you have been an excellent friend and done so much for me over the past year that this is the least I can do to partially repay you.
Le, "Rat Hater" can be found in:
The Deadly Streets Harlan Ellison (Pyramid V3931, Sep ’75, $1.25, pb); Adds five stories to the Ace 1958 edition.
As someone who has the Dream Corridor where it appears, I would certainly recommend purchasing that collection if you had an interest, as the illustrations do enhance the atmosphere of the story.
Finally, it is easy to have a discussion with an intelligent person whose opinions you respect, even if you disagree on a subject as heated as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The person who referenced me yesterday fails both of those criteria.
Mark
Please Contact Speaker Pelosi and Your Representative Right Now!
Once again, I'm using my posting privileges to repost a letter from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee on health *insurance* reform ('cause that's what this is really about).
Please take a moment to call Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (202) 225-0100 and send the e-mail form to your House Representative. Here's the URL:
http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/call/hreccall/?akid=268.89519.GkpaCi&rd=1&source=e2&t=4
*******
For all my friends here, especially those fighting for good health insurance, fighting against bureaucracies (I just had a vital medication denied yesterday, and will have to appeal.) Please, sign and e-mail this one for those of us in need. I know that there are many of us.
We need the Bail-Out of a ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION FOR HEALTH INSURANCE, not more bloated bonuses of Wall Street Banks and Investment firms.
Thank you for your time.
G.G.
Here's the letter:
Great news! Since Monday, PCCC members made over 2,000 phone calls to House Democrats asking them to publicly call on the Senate to pass the public option.
Today, two brave House progressives are answering our call.
Freshman Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) are rallying fellow House Democrats to join them on a letter to Sen. Harry Reid -- telling the Senate to pass the public option through "reconciliation," which only needs 51 votes.
Can you call Speaker Nancy Pelosi today? Ask her to sign the Polis/Pingree letter in support of the public option.
Today, we will personally deliver your petition signature on this issue to Harry Reid. As more House Democrats sign the Polis/Pingree letter, that will add to the pressure Reid is feeling to pass the public option over the objections of Joe Lieberman and others.
If we push Democrats to be bold in this moment, we can help save them from disaster in 2010. Yesterday, we and Democracy for America released new poll numbers showing that in 10 swing House districts, a whopping 68% of voters want the public option.
So, you asking your local member to sign the Polis/Pingree letter is actually doing them a political favor -- in addition to helping to pass good policy that will save many lives.
Now's the time to pick up the phone and make a difference. Can you call Rep. Pelosi today, asking her to sign the Polis/Pingree letter on the public option?
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
To: Joe, re: WW2 / "Rat Hater"
Joe-
Thanks for your review of CRAZY HEART. I probably will wait to rent it on DVD. I still feel suckered after watching THE WRESTLER, which everyone praised to the skies but which I thought was a pedestrian film.
Regarding WW2 books, if you have not read Eugene B. Sledge's WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA. It is the most riveting WW2 book I have ever read. I remember how the author recalls being a Marine at the time and first disgusted by the "trophy collecting" on the battlefield and grisly scenes of marines prying loose gold teeth from the dead and dying Japanese soldiers with their kabars. Then, before long, he found himself eager to participate in the same activities...before a medic at the scene talked him out if it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I regret I have not yet read Ellison's "Rat Hater," but my curiosity was piqued after someone earlier likened it to my favorite Poe story.
Did this story ever appear in a collection (besides DREAM CORRIDOR)? If so, which one?
Speaking of _A Boy and his Dog_...
http://io9.com/5457640/cult-scifi-films-secret-christian-connection
An LA screening will pair the film with a documentary about Christian armageddon fantasies.
Oh, and I saw _Avatar_ yesterday. Overall opinion? Ehh. Oh, it's impressive spectacle, and as technically innovative as the press says it is. I could work up a long and detailed discussion of the film. But really, at root, I could not bring myself to care about the story very much.
In fact, I got to the theater early, so I walked in to watch the last half hour of the film, just as the Big Final Battle was starting. But when my entry moment came around for the second time... well, I'd lost interest and left.
news from Gamma Squad
Glad to see the Spirit news. Harlan and comics go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Per the Gamma Squad website, David Lee Miller may be adapting A Boy and His Dog as an animated film. Sounds interesting. Sorry if this is old news; I've been busy with work, minor health issues, fighting with the fiction muse, and doing storytelling gigs. I'll be back at ConCarolinas this June if anyone will be near Charlotte then...
MARK G. wrote: "Susan, if shagin's HERC membership is not up to date, please let me know and I will pick up the cost of her renewal"
*blink*
Thank you means so much more than pixels on a screen can ever hope to convey.
shagin
Work is good. Well, actually, YOUR work is GOLDEN... but your absence will cast a pall over the Pavillion until your return.
I miss you already.
Selfishly,
Cindy
p.s. Ask me about Texas.
HARLAN-
Wow...certainly didn't expect to run across a reference to Cedar Point and The Hotel Breakers when I stopped by today. I grew up in Huron and somehow every Christmas, regardless of the family financial situation, we'd have Cedar Point season passes for the coming summer in our stockings.
I spent many an hour on the Corkscrew, Blue Streak, Gemini, and--still to this day my favorite--the Wave Swinger. I recall spending one or two quarters in the vast arcade, too.
Is the Spirit story set at Cedar Point? Or do your Cedar Point memories represent the time your dream manifested?
--
Ryan
YES!!! More Harlan Ellison stories....come home after work and I get that good news...
Been a good day :)
Harlan: If having you around here less is the price we have to pay for stuff like a Harlan Ellison-Kyle Baker Spirit story, I'd say that's a pretty good trade-off. Go, and darken our door less frequently! (Of course, it's really YOUR door, and you aren't "darkening" it at all, but ... well, you know what I mean.)
Everyone: I commend to you all "The New Proles," an essay by Leon Wieseltier in the latest issue of the New Republic, about how hard the Internet has made it to make a living at the craft of writing. There's very much of a "pay the writer" vibe to it. The article isn't online, and I wouldn't provide a link to read it for free if it was - it would seem wrong and self-defeating to do so somehow, given the subject matter - but it's worth seeking out. It's the issue with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein on the cover.
Has this been mentioned yet?
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2010/01/26/My-Suicide-director-to-animate-PA-classic-A-BOY-AND-HIS-DOG
Amazing Stories
FinderDoug - caught your comment about the safe delivery from the good postal people, and I couldn't resist tracking down which issue had "The Plague Bearers." After rereading that "rough, tough story of tomorrow's world written by one of the foremost rough, tough authors in the business," I paged through the rest of the magazine. Some Virgil Finlay pleasure out on page 103, and check out the letter to the editor from - I assume - a future film critic on pages 123-4.
Harlan: nice to see you back in action, sir. I'm looking forward to reading the new tomes.
My favorite non-sf/fantasy Harlan story? Hmm. RAT HATER is definitely up there. His very own CASK OF AMONTILLADO. I think Lew Greenberg had a more compelling reason for revenge than the narrator of the Poe tale (one of my favorites of his). I've had murderous feelings toward those who hurt or sponged off my sister and and can understand Lew's need for revenge on Chucklin' Harry Kroenfeld. Lew's appeal as protagonist comes from his affection for his sister and outrage at what was done to her. Harlan also does a fine job creating the atmosphere of the story, and the old warehouse.
R-r-r-rats!
I'm definitely looking forward to the new Rabbit Hole soon to come down the bunny trail. Thanks, Susan!
Chuck
SUSAN:
I have a new address. Shall I post it here, or send it to y