BOOK REVIEW
The 5th Inning
By E. Ethelbert Miller, 163 pgs.
By Steve Hart
Beautifully written, every sentence is extremely well-crafted and labored over.
E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Saturday, July 30, 2011
World Reacts to Debt Ceiling Debacle: "Irresponsible," "Worst Kind of Absurd Theatrics"
Ken Sofer, ThinkProgress: "From France and Germany to China and India, countries around the world are angry that American politicians play with the possibility of a U.S. default like a yo-yo with little regard for the international economic system that depends on American solvency... Even if Congress manages to forge a deal against the wishes of the Tea Party and deliver a bill to President Obama's desk raising the debt ceiling before default, the damage to our international standing has already been done."
Read the Article
Ken Sofer, ThinkProgress: "From France and Germany to China and India, countries around the world are angry that American politicians play with the possibility of a U.S. default like a yo-yo with little regard for the international economic system that depends on American solvency... Even if Congress manages to forge a deal against the wishes of the Tea Party and deliver a bill to President Obama's desk raising the debt ceiling before default, the damage to our international standing has already been done."
Read the Article
EYES ON THE PRIZE:
This is just a quick reminder that the Rattle Poetry Prize deadline is just a few days away. We're taking entries emailed or postmarked through Monday, August 1st.
The gist: $5,000 prize for a single poem. Fifteen $100 finalists. All poems submitted are considered for standard publication. $18 entry fee submits up to four poems and includes a one-year subscription to Rattle (and that's just the regular subscription price). Fun times.
For hardcopy guidelines go here:http://www.rattle.com/rpp/hardguide.htm
For email guidelines go here: http://www.rattle.com/rpp/emailguide.htm
Any questions, just ask.
Cheers,
Tim
--
Timothy Green
Editor / Rattle
12411 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
www.rattle.com
tim@rattle.com
This is just a quick reminder that the Rattle Poetry Prize deadline is just a few days away. We're taking entries emailed or postmarked through Monday, August 1st.
The gist: $5,000 prize for a single poem. Fifteen $100 finalists. All poems submitted are considered for standard publication. $18 entry fee submits up to four poems and includes a one-year subscription to Rattle (and that's just the regular subscription price). Fun times.
For hardcopy guidelines go here:http://www.rattle.com/rpp/hardguide.htm
For email guidelines go here: http://www.rattle.com/rpp/emailguide.htm
Any questions, just ask.
Cheers,
Tim
--
Timothy Green
Editor / Rattle
12411 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
www.rattle.com
tim@rattle.com
SPORTS:
N.F.L. players are back on the field but let's go back and see what they got in their new agreement.
I was mostly interested in player health and safety.
- Limit on-field practice time and contact.
- Increase number of days off for players.
- Opportunity for current players to remain in the player medical plan for life.
- $50 million per year joint fund for medical research, health care programs
N.F.L. players are back on the field but let's go back and see what they got in their new agreement.
I was mostly interested in player health and safety.
- Limit on-field practice time and contact.
- Increase number of days off for players.
- Opportunity for current players to remain in the player medical plan for life.
- $50 million per year joint fund for medical research, health care programs
July 30, 2011
Tricycle Daily Dharma
Pure Motivation
If we are really honest, we can see that it makes no difference whether we receive praise and acclaim. The whole world might sing our praises, but if we have done something wrong, then we will still have to suffer the consequences for ourselves, and we cannot escape them. If we act only out of a pure motivation, all the beings of the three realms can criticize and rebuke us, but none of them will be able to cause us to suffer.-The Dalai Lama, "Bad Reputation”
ethelbert-miller.blogspot.com
The E-Channel presents the words and wisdom of the writer Charles Johnson. It's Charles Johnson LIVE ! It was created by E. Ethelbert Miller (that's what the E stands for) in January 2011. It's a one year project in which Miller will interview Johnson about his books, beliefs, and various matters
Friday, July 29, 2011
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News Alert: U.S. House passes Boehner debt plan
July 29, 2011 6:31:42 PM
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With only a handful of Republicans in opposition, the House on Friday voted, 218 to 210, to approve Speaker John Boehner's bill to raise the nation's debt limit for a few months. The measure was revised earlier in the day to make it more palatable to conservatives. No Democrats supported the bill.
Senate Democrats say they cannot support the bill in its current form.
News Alert: U.S. House passes Boehner debt plan
July 29, 2011 6:31:42 PM
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With only a handful of Republicans in opposition, the House on Friday voted, 218 to 210, to approve Speaker John Boehner's bill to raise the nation's debt limit for a few months. The measure was revised earlier in the day to make it more palatable to conservatives. No Democrats supported the bill.
Senate Democrats say they cannot support the bill in its current form.
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Local Weather Alert: Heat records snap at Reagan National, Dulles as D.C. heat index hits 107
July 29, 2011 1:13:28 PM
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Heat in Washington has reached dangerous levels again with a heat index of 107. Reagan National Airport has hit a high of 102 and Dulles Airport has hit 98, both topping previous records set in 1993.
July 29, 2011 1:13:28 PM
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Heat in Washington has reached dangerous levels again with a heat index of 107. Reagan National Airport has hit a high of 102 and Dulles Airport has hit 98, both topping previous records set in 1993.
News Alert: President Obama says Boehner plan has no chance of becoming law
July 29, 2011 11:00:12 AM
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Speaking four days before a potentially disastrous U.S. default, President Obama said the plan that House Speaker John A. Boehner is working furiously to pass "does not solve the problem. It has no chance of becoming law."
He urged the Senate to move quickly to produce a bipartisan plan to raise the debt ceiling. "The time for putting party first is over," he said.
July 29, 2011 11:00:12 AM
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Speaking four days before a potentially disastrous U.S. default, President Obama said the plan that House Speaker John A. Boehner is working furiously to pass "does not solve the problem. It has no chance of becoming law."
He urged the Senate to move quickly to produce a bipartisan plan to raise the debt ceiling. "The time for putting party first is over," he said.
Florida Looks for the Lowest Bidder as It Privatizes 30 State Prisons
Marie Diamond, ThinkProgress: "Florida is seeking bids from private companies to take over management of 30 state prisons in an 18-country area in South Florida. The 'fastest privatization venture ever undertaken by the state of Florida' is an effort by Gov. Rick Scott (R) to save the state money by outsourcing prison oversight to the lowest bidder."
Read the Article
Marie Diamond, ThinkProgress: "Florida is seeking bids from private companies to take over management of 30 state prisons in an 18-country area in South Florida. The 'fastest privatization venture ever undertaken by the state of Florida' is an effort by Gov. Rick Scott (R) to save the state money by outsourcing prison oversight to the lowest bidder."
Read the Article
MAKING MY WAY ACROSS TOWN
The bus is going to Duke
Ellington bridge. Is that where
the big band is?
Elizabeth Alexander writes:
"my life is black and filled
with fortune."
What are the poets doing these days?
I see Holly Bass laughing
with a friend on U Street.
The air is so hot my dreams
are sweating. They could be Louis
Armstrong wiping his brow.
There are days in DC
when I wish I had a key
or could invent a door.
- E. Ethelbert Miller
The bus is going to Duke
Ellington bridge. Is that where
the big band is?
Elizabeth Alexander writes:
"my life is black and filled
with fortune."
What are the poets doing these days?
I see Holly Bass laughing
with a friend on U Street.
The air is so hot my dreams
are sweating. They could be Louis
Armstrong wiping his brow.
There are days in DC
when I wish I had a key
or could invent a door.
- E. Ethelbert Miller
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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News Alert: Republican leader says the House will not vote tonight on debt bill
July 28, 2011 10:38:16 PM
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House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that the chamber will not vote tonight on Speaker John A. Boehner's proposal to lift the federal debt ceiling. A vote on the bill had been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, but as that hour approached, House leaders called for an indefinite postponement of the vote, signalling that Boehner, McCarthy and other House GOP leaders did not have the votes lined up to pass the Boehner plan.
News Alert: Republican leader says the House will not vote tonight on debt bill
July 28, 2011 10:38:16 PM
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House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that the chamber will not vote tonight on Speaker John A. Boehner's proposal to lift the federal debt ceiling. A vote on the bill had been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, but as that hour approached, House leaders called for an indefinite postponement of the vote, signalling that Boehner, McCarthy and other House GOP leaders did not have the votes lined up to pass the Boehner plan.
THE RED DOOR LOFT
(for Luke)
We are a city of secrets.
Down one street.
Up another.
I walk into an alley looking for music.
Where is the jazz?
Somewhere above
reaching, pulling me up
a twisting staircase?
Is this heaven
or a watchtower?
Bobby (from WPFW)
greets me at the door.
Luke the bass player
is behind him.
$15 buys entrance,
cool air and sound.
Drinks are in the back.
There is an ark of people
waiting for the music to flood
the loft.
Time to jump into jazz
with the faithful. Baptize me
behind the red door. To tell
this secret is to love.
Do Tell!
Ear Up!
- E. Ethelbert Miller
(for Luke)
We are a city of secrets.
Down one street.
Up another.
I walk into an alley looking for music.
Where is the jazz?
Somewhere above
reaching, pulling me up
a twisting staircase?
Is this heaven
or a watchtower?
Bobby (from WPFW)
greets me at the door.
Luke the bass player
is behind him.
$15 buys entrance,
cool air and sound.
Drinks are in the back.
There is an ark of people
waiting for the music to flood
the loft.
Time to jump into jazz
with the faithful. Baptize me
behind the red door. To tell
this secret is to love.
Do Tell!
Ear Up!
- E. Ethelbert Miller
July 28, 2011
Tricycle Daily Dharma
-Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, “A City of Dreams”
Tricycle Daily Dharma
A City of Dreams
At present, the outer universe—earth, stones, mountains, rocks, and cliffs—seems to the perception of our senses to be permanent and stable, like the house built of reinforced concrete that we think will last for generations. In fact, there is nothing solid to it at all; it is nothing but a city of dreams.-Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, “A City of Dreams”
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
It's amazing how we create drama these days. Suddenly we are pulled into how our Congress works as if it's a game show or simply reality television. Have you noticed how over the last several years we focus on the House of Representatives as if they are the key branch of government? What a joke. If there was a Republican President everything would be shaped by the White House. We would hear nothing except which bill the "President" was going to veto. Ask yourself this - have you heard about anything Obama has vetoed during his presidency? Remember when it seemed everything was being shaped by the Supreme Court? Oh, and back in the days when we had "colorful" senators, these guys determined the debate.Didn't they? Well, no more my dear amigo. We focus on the House of Representatives because of a few Tea Party members. The media coverage gives them more influence than they actually have. How many of these individuals will still be in office next year? Remember all the "Ya Ya Ya" about Blue Dog Democrats? Does anyone talk about this group anymore? Talking about disappearing acts - it seems the media has finally grown tired of Sarah Palin. Is anyone talking about her running for president anymore? Go find that plumber guy. What this shows you is how we are manipulated by the media on a regular basis. We are sold "drama" to keep us addicted to watching and listening. At the end of the day it's about the networks making money, and about conservatives forces trying to takeover the operations of our government. A strong shift to the right and we might quickly become Afghanistan with the Taliban in charge. I can see folks trying to slip across the border into Canada. Do you remember the days of slavery? Everyday good people must come together and protect the values that define us as Americans. We are still an experiment in living. The current economic crisis is just a test to see how much we might change our politics and culture. Are we one step away from fascism? Is God going to ask for ID cards? Be careful of your neighbor who might have a little "Taliban" inside them. You never know when someone wants to destroy the face of the Buddha. It could be your face.
PROVISIONS LIBRARY:
Dear Friend,
In an article entitled “Ballet for your Children”, the famed choreographer George Balanchine wrote, “many of us are more easily entertained if we have in advance some information about an art that happens to be strange to us.” For that reason, the Quis project was designed to include Quis Conversations, opportunities to share information about the project, and to get audience members talking about the issue of security. There are so many ways to think about security, and this dance project is trying to empower audience participation in security dialogue around the ten year anniversary of 9/11.
Tomorrow from 6-7 at Provisions library in Dupont Circle veteran and military analyst Terry Doyle and I will be hosting one of these dialogues. Thank you to the Provisions Library for Social Change for hosting us. Please share this opportunity with your friends and colleagues, and hope to see you there. It is free, and a great way to introduce people to this awesome modern dance project we'll be premiering September 2nd at the Woolly Mammoth Theater. See
http://quis.bettmanndances.com/2011/quis-conversation-military-security-w-terry-doyle-july-28/ for full details.
I appreciate your help letting people know, and look forward to seeing you soon.
Best,
Rob Bettmann
New Book:
BLOODCOAL & HONEY by Dan Gutstein.
Published by the Washington Writers' Publishing House
www.washingtonwriters.org
Ethelbert writes:
In Dan Gustein's Bloodcoal & Honey Detective P points the poem at the reader. It's almost a film noir moment on the page. The names Warren and David haunt this collection. Gutstein's work is dark and violent in places. Some poems tell you - "Don't Move." There is lyrical sorrow in this book but one will discover a love for language beneath the rain.
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| DAN GUTSTEIN |
BLOODCOAL & HONEY by Dan Gutstein.
Published by the Washington Writers' Publishing House
www.washingtonwriters.org
Ethelbert writes:
In Dan Gustein's Bloodcoal & Honey Detective P points the poem at the reader. It's almost a film noir moment on the page. The names Warren and David haunt this collection. Gutstein's work is dark and violent in places. Some poems tell you - "Don't Move." There is lyrical sorrow in this book but one will discover a love for language beneath the rain.
MAIL:
Throughout my life the arrival of mail was often the highlight of the day. I remember getting piles of stuff in my post office box at Howard University. A box I closed a few years ago. When I arrived home from work there was a second batch of mail to sort and explore. Gone are the days of letters and post-cards from friends and lovers. Yesterday the Postal Service announced the closing of 3,600 of its 32,000 post offices. The closings will hit hard the rural areas of the United States. Some areas just became more isolated - or did they? Is the post office and snail mail outdated? When was the last time you searched your pockets for coins to use at a pay phone? Who will need a stamp in a few years? Our way of life is quickly changing everyday. This is why I decided to make my next collection of poems available from my website in late August. More people will have access to my work - even in rural areas. If Langston Hughes had an E-book would he have toured the South? Meanwhile, I'll continue to collect stamps; these pretty little things might be small nuggets of gold in the future.
Throughout my life the arrival of mail was often the highlight of the day. I remember getting piles of stuff in my post office box at Howard University. A box I closed a few years ago. When I arrived home from work there was a second batch of mail to sort and explore. Gone are the days of letters and post-cards from friends and lovers. Yesterday the Postal Service announced the closing of 3,600 of its 32,000 post offices. The closings will hit hard the rural areas of the United States. Some areas just became more isolated - or did they? Is the post office and snail mail outdated? When was the last time you searched your pockets for coins to use at a pay phone? Who will need a stamp in a few years? Our way of life is quickly changing everyday. This is why I decided to make my next collection of poems available from my website in late August. More people will have access to my work - even in rural areas. If Langston Hughes had an E-book would he have toured the South? Meanwhile, I'll continue to collect stamps; these pretty little things might be small nuggets of gold in the future.
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August Haps! Be on the lookout for the August newsletter but here's a sneak preview: August 3 Open mic Busboys & Poets 5th & K, 9pm. Featured poet RonAmber Deloney August 4 "The Woman In Me" Fab art talk with Yoko K, Paco Fish and DJ Natty Boom, moderated by Holly Bass. Heiner Contemporary Gallery, 6:30-8pm. August 28 Kennedy Center!!! I'll be curating and performing at this celebration of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. 6-7pm on the Millenium Stage. More details to come!!! | This week! Jazz and Poetry al fresco, Gil Scott-Heron tribute I'm still feeling the creative effects of my writing retreat at the wonderful Virginia Center for the Creative Arts! Looking forward to sharing lots of new poems with you! Tomorrow! Wednesday, July 27 Jazz and Poetry at Grace Church, in the garden 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW 7-8pm. FREE! Free parking at Georgetown Park Mall with Grace Church validation Bring a picnic dinner and enjoy original and classic poems set to music. Pete Muldoon on guitar, Jabari Exum on percussion and Eric Wheeler on bass. Sunday, July 31 Revolution Immortalized Busboys and Poets, 5th & K Sts. NW 5pm-7pm. Suggested donation $5-$10 An interactive evening featuring live music by the Neo-Groove Movement and Head Roc, spoken word by Holly Bass and the DC Youth Poetry Slam Team, and video footage of a few of Heron's notable performances.  |
THE EAR IS AN ORGAN MADE FOR LOVE
by E. Ethelbert Miller
Where: Download from: www.eethelbertmiller.com
Here is a link to the title poem:
The Ear is an Organ Made for Love - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems ...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Republican Mike Lee: I Want America's "House to Come Down" Unless Congress Votes to Rewrite Constitution
Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress: "In an interview on MSNBC's Hardball Monday evening, tenther Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) admitted that he is using the threat of a catastrophic default to extort the nation into rewriting the Constitution to force a permanent era of conservative governance."
Read the Article
Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress: "In an interview on MSNBC's Hardball Monday evening, tenther Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) admitted that he is using the threat of a catastrophic default to extort the nation into rewriting the Constitution to force a permanent era of conservative governance."
Read the Article
THE NEW WORLD ORDER?
I remember an old Time magazine cover back in the early 1960s. I think it was Time. On the cover was the bold words - IS GOD DEAD? I had never thought about God dying. From what? Who sings at the funeral? I guess I respond the same way when people start saying multiculturalism has failed. Do we want to bury it because of a few setbacks? Oh, and who said it failed? The people who never wanted it?
So how will this all play out? I think gentrification on a global scale is coming. If people of color keep moving into Europe, sooner or later there is going to be some Europeans who will launch a "Back to Africa" movement. An era of new colonization might just begin. Can you see new cities in Africa being constructed - not for Africans but for whites? Suddenly, folks are concerned about "crime" in Africa and Civil Wars start being contained. Somewhere there has to be a group of Whites who believe they could takeover a small African nation - kick the natives out and find an airline to run charter flights on the weekend. New cities in Africa could be developed anywhere on the continent. The catch is that these "Condo-Nations" won't be for the Africans. Now they might help build them - save money and move to Norway or New York - but they won't be able to live in them. No more Africa for the Africans.
If this sounds far fetch - just walk around Washington D.C.
I remember an old Time magazine cover back in the early 1960s. I think it was Time. On the cover was the bold words - IS GOD DEAD? I had never thought about God dying. From what? Who sings at the funeral? I guess I respond the same way when people start saying multiculturalism has failed. Do we want to bury it because of a few setbacks? Oh, and who said it failed? The people who never wanted it?
So how will this all play out? I think gentrification on a global scale is coming. If people of color keep moving into Europe, sooner or later there is going to be some Europeans who will launch a "Back to Africa" movement. An era of new colonization might just begin. Can you see new cities in Africa being constructed - not for Africans but for whites? Suddenly, folks are concerned about "crime" in Africa and Civil Wars start being contained. Somewhere there has to be a group of Whites who believe they could takeover a small African nation - kick the natives out and find an airline to run charter flights on the weekend. New cities in Africa could be developed anywhere on the continent. The catch is that these "Condo-Nations" won't be for the Africans. Now they might help build them - save money and move to Norway or New York - but they won't be able to live in them. No more Africa for the Africans.
If this sounds far fetch - just walk around Washington D.C.
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| LUCILLE CLIFTON |
Published by St.Mary's College of Maryland Press
Here are the writers in it:
Toni Morrison
Elizabeth Alexander
Robert Bly
Richard Wilbur
Barbara Hurd
Lia Purpura
Robert Hass
Evie Shockley
le thi diem thuy
Maria Mazziotti Gillan
Toi Derricotte
Sharon Olds
Edar Silex
Maxine Kumin
Stanley Kunitz
W.S.Merwin
Roland Flint
Naomi Shihab Nye
Fred D'Aguiar
Mark Doty
Susan Deborah King
Allen Ginsberg
Coleman Barks
Peter Klappert
Michael Collier
Judith Hall
Yusef Komunyakaa
Richard Shelton
Gerald Stern
Amiri Baraka
Joy Harjo
Adrienne Rich
Bruce Weigl
Martin Espada
Carolyn Forche
William Stafford
Edward Hirsch
William Meredith
Derek Walcott
Wayne Karlin
Quincy Troupe
Philip Levine
E. Ethelbert Miller
George Evans
Richard Harteis
Anne Caston
Grace Cavalieri
Cornelius Eady
Robert Creeley
Linda Pastan
Daisy Zamora
Galway Kinnell
Li-Young Lee
Mary Oliver
Whew...
Do you support the journal?
It's the oldest poetry magazine in the US.
Read us. Send work to us. Support us: www.poetlore.com
ALL THAT JAZZ:
Last night I went down to THE RED DOOR LOFT (443 Eye Street, NW) and heard some jazz. Bring back jazz in the lofts! A small space filled with old faces who still love the new music. Good vibes all around. Luke Stewart told me about it several days ago. I finally got a chance to hear him play bass. Awesome. I met Stewart several months back at WPFW. In fact last night (for me) was a WPFW reunion. The evening was produced by Transparent Productions. The door charge was $15. Last night Stewart was playing with THE B.E.B. Ensemble: Joseph Bowie (trombone, percussion), Ernest Khabeer Dawkins (reeds), Lewis 'Flip' Barnes (trumpet), Warren Crudup, III (drums).
Last night I went down to THE RED DOOR LOFT (443 Eye Street, NW) and heard some jazz. Bring back jazz in the lofts! A small space filled with old faces who still love the new music. Good vibes all around. Luke Stewart told me about it several days ago. I finally got a chance to hear him play bass. Awesome. I met Stewart several months back at WPFW. In fact last night (for me) was a WPFW reunion. The evening was produced by Transparent Productions. The door charge was $15. Last night Stewart was playing with THE B.E.B. Ensemble: Joseph Bowie (trombone, percussion), Ernest Khabeer Dawkins (reeds), Lewis 'Flip' Barnes (trumpet), Warren Crudup, III (drums).
Opinion
Room For Debate
How Cuts Will Change the Black Middle Class
What will the shrinking of the public sector mean for the economic prospects of African-Americans?
Monday, July 25, 2011
THIS IS TERROR TOO:
After all is said and done, I'm curious about where the name (group) Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami came from. This was the name of the group that folks were talking about when the government offices in Oslo were attacked. The media circulates information, and the public responds to it. But what if the information is false? Here is something I read in The New York Times on Saturday:
Initial reports focused on the possibility of Islamic militants, in particular Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or Helpers of the Global Jihad, cited by some analysts as claiming responsibility for the attacks. American officials said the group was previously unknown and might not even exist.
Wow - wait a minute! You mean the group Might not even exist? OK - then who made it up? Shouldn't that person be arrested? Find them! I can't go outside and pull the fire alarm just for kicks. What if a real fire is happening somewhere? I could be responsible for someone not being saved from a burning house. Right?
Oh, and I spoke with someone about the Arabic translation of Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami - they thought the word "helpers" was a tad wrong too. Oh, the terror...
After all is said and done, I'm curious about where the name (group) Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami came from. This was the name of the group that folks were talking about when the government offices in Oslo were attacked. The media circulates information, and the public responds to it. But what if the information is false? Here is something I read in The New York Times on Saturday:
Initial reports focused on the possibility of Islamic militants, in particular Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or Helpers of the Global Jihad, cited by some analysts as claiming responsibility for the attacks. American officials said the group was previously unknown and might not even exist.
Wow - wait a minute! You mean the group Might not even exist? OK - then who made it up? Shouldn't that person be arrested? Find them! I can't go outside and pull the fire alarm just for kicks. What if a real fire is happening somewhere? I could be responsible for someone not being saved from a burning house. Right?
Oh, and I spoke with someone about the Arabic translation of Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami - they thought the word "helpers" was a tad wrong too. Oh, the terror...
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News Alert: NFL back in business after player leaders recommend ratification of CBA
July 25, 2011 2:11:41 PM
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Players executive committee recommends deal to membership; free agency, training camps to open this week.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/2GZNC0/LQPLH8/NJ6V7W/ATMH8J/3P90C/50/h
News Alert: NFL back in business after player leaders recommend ratification of CBA
July 25, 2011 2:11:41 PM
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Players executive committee recommends deal to membership; free agency, training camps to open this week.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/2GZNC0/LQPLH8/NJ6V7W/ATMH8J/3P90C/50/h
IMPORTANT:
POETS ON THE FRONTLINES?
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/anders-behring-breivik-targeted-journalists-writers-literature-professors-in-2083-manifesto_b3495
POETS ON THE FRONTLINES?
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/anders-behring-breivik-targeted-journalists-writers-literature-professors-in-2083-manifesto_b3495
If you want to read a dumb interview just look at yesterday's Andrew Goldman's exchange with Cornel West in The New York Times Magazine. I love the silly first question and the hilarious answer. Check this:
Goldman: What's with the black suit, white shirt, black tie outfit you always wear? Do you have anything else in your closet?
West: I've got four black suits that I circulate, and they are my cemetery clothes - my uniform that keeps me ready for battle.
Hold it right there. You don't want to read anymore. Can you imagine asking Garvey - "Hey Marcus - what's with the hat?" Did you ever wonder how many suits Du Bois owned? What's the price of freedom these days? But hey - I prefer West to talk about his wardrobe instead of trying to "out" Obama everyday. What is that about? West says he is ready for battle - but I think he has no idea where the war is or who is fighting. This guy might as well run around with folks celebrating the Civil War - in costumes. It soon gets to be very tired. Some folks need to give up the gray while others might need to give up the black.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Charles Johnson: Embracing the World
Nibir K. Ghosh & E. Ethelbert Miller (Ed).
Charles Johnson: Embracing the World
New Delhi: Authorspress, 2011
ISBN 9788172735654
Rs. 825.
Charles Johnson: Embracing the World
New Delhi: Authorspress, 2011
ISBN 9788172735654
Rs. 825.
Why another book about Charles Johnson and his work?
Johnson extends the African American literary tradition by pushing and pulling us beyond the work of Toomer, Wright and Ellison; three writers that provide him with a lineage. In many ways Charles Johnson is our Marco Polo. His books open the door to the East. To a new generation he is well known for his Buddhist writings in popular journals. Even before the election of President Barack Obama, Johnson was asking serious questions about race. If anyone can talk about the future of America, he can. His work upholds a moral and philosophical worldview. In The Middle Passage the question is, where is home? In Dreamer the central discussion is “how do you end evil without engendering new evil? In these times of what I consider to be literary pork, it’s refreshing to find someone willing to craft and tell a good story. The work of Charles Johnson requires heavy lifting by our minds. His novels, stories and essays are healthy for us. Charles Johnson lives in Seattle. He has many friends. He is a good man. These three simple sentences are the foundation on which one could write a book. The complexity of the human spirit requires genius to make sense of what we do. Johnson is our laughing Buddha, a man with gray hair and a crown of wisdom. He is a man on “the path” teaching us to follow, if we take the time and wish to understand the way.
Johnson extends the African American literary tradition by pushing and pulling us beyond the work of Toomer, Wright and Ellison; three writers that provide him with a lineage. In many ways Charles Johnson is our Marco Polo. His books open the door to the East. To a new generation he is well known for his Buddhist writings in popular journals. Even before the election of President Barack Obama, Johnson was asking serious questions about race. If anyone can talk about the future of America, he can. His work upholds a moral and philosophical worldview. In The Middle Passage the question is, where is home? In Dreamer the central discussion is “how do you end evil without engendering new evil? In these times of what I consider to be literary pork, it’s refreshing to find someone willing to craft and tell a good story. The work of Charles Johnson requires heavy lifting by our minds. His novels, stories and essays are healthy for us. Charles Johnson lives in Seattle. He has many friends. He is a good man. These three simple sentences are the foundation on which one could write a book. The complexity of the human spirit requires genius to make sense of what we do. Johnson is our laughing Buddha, a man with gray hair and a crown of wisdom. He is a man on “the path” teaching us to follow, if we take the time and wish to understand the way.
The erudite articles, insightful essays, vibrant poems and stories, glowing tributes and animate interviews in this memorable volume not only address multifarious dimensions of the Charles Johnson canon but also bring into bold relief the magnetic appeal of a veritable activist relentlessly engaged in making the world a better place to live in. Also included in this volume are essays and stories by Charles Johnson that illumine variant issues and concerns ranging from the ambivalence of the American Dilemma to delineating the meaning of Barack Obama, besides displaying his innate ability to contend with conflicting forces by celebrating life in the manner of Buddha, Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. If Johnson admires America for being the great country where “passions define possibilities” and where “no individual or group, white or black, could tell me not to dream,” he is no less enamoured by India: “its beauty, antiquity, breath-taking art and remarkable people, the peace I feel instantly when my mind drifts to the Buddhist Dharma or Hinduism, that great democracy of Being.” Johnson combines philosophy and folklore, martial art and Buddhism, to offer incisive insights into the new frontiers of the African American experience that calls for an amalgamation of multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural perspectives. This anthology lucidly showcases the life and work of an authentic cultural ambassador who, with an intense feeling of metta towards all sentient beings, is in perpetual readiness to embrace the world in both flesh and spirit.
Call for Papers
Dialog on Poetry and Poetics:
The 1st Convention of Chinese/American Association for Poetry and Poetics
The 2007 International Conference on 20th Century American Poetry in Wuhan, China, inaugurated a new era for American poetry study in China and for the exchange of poetry between China and America. The landmark conference proceedings included over 70 essays by authors from around the world. The conference also led to the formation of the Chinese/American Association for Poetry and Poetics (CAAP), based at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW). In order to facilitate academic exchange and to promote poetry and poetics of (and beyond) America and China, CAAP will co-host “Dialog on Poetry and Poetics: The First Convention of the Chinese/American Association for Poetry and Poetics” (Wuhan, China, September 29-30, 2011) with CPCW at Penn, Central China Normal University, Foreign Literature Studies (AHCI journal) and Forum for World Literature Studies. CAAP President Marjorie Perloff, professor of Stanford University and fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), CAAP Vice-president Charles Bernstein, Professor of University of Pennsylvania and fellow of AAAS, and CAAP Vice-president Nie Zhenzhao, professor of Central China Normal University and vice-president of China National Association of Foreign Literatures, will attend the conference together with many other scholars from America, China and other parts of the world. We hereby sincerely invite all scholars and poets of the world to this grand academic occasion.
I. Topics
1) The Critical Writings of Marjorie Perloff: Retrospective Readings of the Works
2) Charles Bernstein and L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E
3) Reinterpretations of Poetry Classics: Canons New and Old
4) Sound, Performance, Text: the Boundaries of Poetry
5) Issues of Identity in 21st C Poetry
6) Poetry and New Media
7) The Poetics of Translation
8) Poetry and Environment
9) African American Poetry
II. Conference Languages: English and Chinese
III. Deadline for Abstract Submission: August 20, 2011
IV. Time and Place of the Convention:
Registration: September 28, 2011
Guiyuan Hotel, Central China Normal University, Wuhan
Conference: September 29-30, 2011
V. Publication of conference essays:
1) Selected essays will be published in journals: Foreign Literature Studies and Forum for
World Literature Studies;
2) Proceedings will be published after the conference.
VI. Send abstract proposals to, or request more information from:
Prof Luo Lianggong
School of Foreign Languages, Central China Normal University
152 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China
Phone: 86-27-6786 6042 Email: caapconvention@gmail.com
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