Indie Survivor

I really do not like the band the Postal Service. I similarly don't like the Killers, Franz Fernindad, or the Secret Machines. I probably won't buy the next Death Cab for Cutie album (its major-label debut), and we stopped attending Sleater-Kinney concerts years ago. Does this mean I get voted out of the inner circle now?

The Price of Everything, the Value of Nothing

Hope all the Americans had a nice holiday! Not only did I manage not to participate in Black Friday, but I was able to exercise two of the three days I was at my Mom's house, so I don't feel a bit guilty for my extra indulgences of pie and starches. Upon my return to Baltimore, Sunday afternoon I worked Arthur Miller's "The Price" over at Center Stage.

A bit of background on the play: two brothers, one a cop, one a doctor, have to sell off their family's possessions because the building they've been stored in for years is going to be torn down. The cop has been resentful of the doctor for thirty years because while the cop gave up his college dreams to work and support their ailing father, the doctor went off and achieved his dreams. Can the doctor ever repay this moral failing, or did this moral failing exist only in the eyes of the cop?

I wasn't in the mood to see Arthur Miller particularly, but I came away impressed with the depth of his writing ideas in this piece. Don't worry; I'm not going to write about the communist-capitalist undertones that embed most of Miller's writing. I was struck instead on how clearly this play sums up the missus' family, who share a surname with our dear Arthur. However, for confidentiality's sake, let's call them the Joneses. ;)

The Jones have a lot of money--millions, to be exact, in their family. That being said, everyone mistrusts everyone else because of money. Money is a motive for everything. If someone is nice to someone in the family with more money, well, that person just wants a cut of their money. To the someone wanting a cut of the money, well, the money owners are cheap and petty and base all their decisions on their money. Everyone wants the money but no one will be happy with it when it is obtained--they'll just have to protect it from other greedy members of the family who think they are cheap and petty.

As a result, a great deal of emotional stinginess has invaded the Joneses. No one wants to help or empathize with any member of the family because they feel they are owed some greater emotional debt. Well, no one is giving any love and attention, but everyone is wanting love and attention. No one will take the first step and give love and attention on the assumption that love and attention will be returned to them. Well, you see what a quandry the Jonese have. And the money? Well, it's just green and smelly and will be around long after they've died unloved and unloving.

What was I saying? Oh, that is was a good play. Didn't get much attention when it premiered in 1968, but I guess we had more on our minds at that time beside family neuroses. They've only plagued us for centuries and are decidedly old hat, you know. If I had a dollar for every happy family I knew, hmm...well, I'd still be rich in love.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm....

What hit the Pentagon?

If true, very, very weird...

Giving Thanks

Another reason to cancel your subscription to the Washington Post aside from smug, closet-Republican "independent" media critic Howie Kurtz. Thanks to America Blog for pointing this out (I occasionally read the online edition but try not to give them any hits unless absolutely necessary).

Okay, now for a day of eating tomorrow and more thanks:

Thanks that my family and friends are healthy and happy.
Thanks that you and I are as well
Thanks that things could be a lot worse
Thanks that things will be better, I guarantee it!

or the suit is on me.

see you next week!

Vegetable Tales

The Grand Canyon was created from the Biblical floods during the time of Noah's ark? Coming soon to the Grand Canyon National Park souvenir shops near you.

Remember Republicans, on top of endless war and economic meltdown, you voted for this.

Hot off the Press, hot on the springs

Work update: I've gotten two stories accepted recently, I think. Well, I know one, "Perfect Skin," definitely got accepted into some women's magazine, Penwomanship. This was a nice acceptance because, even though it is a market that I don't usually consider, it will appear in the print edition, which is a plus.

The other acceptance, "Heroes of the Diamond," is more tricky. I set it to a journal, Artistry of Life, that has quarterly themes--this particular issue was about myths. I got a response from the editor saying that they were open to publishing my story but only if I re-proofread it (arggh, my own pet peeve as an editor!) and changed the title, presumably because the word "heroes" in the title makes its connection to myth too obvious. I asked them if they had any suggestions for a new title, at which point they responded that my title was actually fine. Therefore, I sent the corrected version, sans new title, and haven't heard from them since. Should I assume that it's accepted? I don't know. I'm too much of a wimp to ask outright.

I have not heard from the New Yorker in four months. I sent an e-mail at the end of October inquiring about my submission but still haven't heard anything. I don't know what the etiquette is in these situation, either. Some writer I am!

Life update: Christmas is too close. The crush of consumerism that surrounds me year-round is that much more suffocating these days. The missus and I have decided to forgo the senseless gift-buying for each other this year and are treating ourselves to a minivacation at a hostel in southern New Mexico that has a hot springs on the premises. And that will be the best present of all: being able to spend time together.

Moving Out of the Country

Our investments, anyway. With the dollar dropping and the economy on life support, the investment gurus are whispering about taking our money out of the US stock market. Anybody have an experience or advice about foreign stock portfolios? Which one, the EU, China, or India, do you think will put the clothesline on us?

Perhaps the answer lies in last night's dream: I dreamt we had two more Boston Terriers named Lemmy and Faye (after the musician "Warren Hayes," I'm guessing, since the poetry editor and I were discussing the merits of a certain poem, "Warren Hayes," among others, for the Winter Issue yesterday). Need to buy stock of companies with the name "Lemmy" or "Faye" in them. Or invest in Warren Hayes records. Gold Warren Hayes records, that is. Ah, moving on up to the east side...

Someone Needs a Copy of The Rules

While we were at Sunday brunch, I overheard a young urbanite explaining her dating situation to her friends: "we've been dating for three years, if you call it that. I mean, we've never done anything together sober. Maybe a movie. Once."

I was half expecting Annie Hall to show up and club her with a tennis racket.

Did I mention my pancakes were absolutely horrible? Do not eat in at Bagelworks in Canton.

Hit "Em Where It Hurts

Top 30 Republican (US) donors with global consumer brands

1 MBNA $3.0m
2 Philip Morris $2.9m
3 Microsoft Corp $2.4m
4 Bristol Myers Squibb $2.1m
5 Pfizer $1.9m
6 Enron $1.8m
7 Citigroup $1.8m
8 Time Warner/AOL $1.6m
9 Amway $1.3m
10 Glaxo SmithKline $1.3m
11 Exxon Mobil $1.2m
12 News Corp $1.2m
13 General Electric $1.1m
14 Limited Inc $950k
15 BP Amoco $950k
16 American Airlines $900k
17 Schering Plough $900k
18 Anheuser Busch $850k
19 Chevron Texaco $800k
20 Revlon Group $760k
21 American Home Products $740k
22 PepsiCo $720k
23 Walt Disney $640k
24 WalMart $630k
25 Texas Utilities $630k
26 Coca Cola $610k
27 UAL Corp $570k
28 Archer Daniels Midland $530k
29 Ford $510k
30 General Motors $510k

If It Walks LIke a Duck...

Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.


Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.


Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.


Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.


Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.


Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.


Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.


Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.


Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.


Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .


Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.


Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.


Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.


Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Comfortably Bummed

Okay, back to normal. Or so I'd like to think. I've decided that the only thing that will help me to move on from this fresh fiasco of an election would be a job at VH-1. Would there be anything sweeter, more anesthetizing than working on updates of "I Love the Eighties," sharing a soda with Loni Love during cuts, thrift shopping with Hal Sparks, sifting through hundreds of hours of twenty-year-old commercials looking for the perfect Strawberry Shortcake segment? Does VH-1 even show videos anymore? Who cares? I can't quit my fix of numbing nostalgia, and I might as well head straight to the source.

How are you all dealing with the aftermath? Are you a bitter, angry mess whose energy is so red hot that things break inexplicity around you except when you're watching VH-1? Or have you accepted the corrupt, broken organ that our democracy and media have been for the past twenty years or so? Or are you asking, "what election? Did you see the segment on Care Bears?" Care Bears, drool, sputter, urp.

So more people cared about whether or not gays could marry than what's going on over in Iraq, the deficit, our jobs, our disaster of a healthcare system, or education? Explain this to me, you Bush voters. You care more about what a fucking person does in his or her bedroom than the state of this country? When your kid dies over in Iraq, when you lose your job or your healthcare, when your taxes go up and your favorite program cut because the third biggest expenditure in our budget is the deficit, when your kid gets shot at school, when the networks all show that titilating reality sex crap you claim not to watch (and your right-wing sugar daddy Rupert Murdoch airs), don't come crying to me. I already tried to help you once, and I won't get fooled again.