Common Sense Trumps Fanaticism of Celibate Old Men

This was a bit of good news today:

ROME — Italy has approved the use of the abortion drug RU-486, drawing fierce protests by the Vatican.

The drug, which terminates pregnancy by causing the embryo to detach from the uterine wall, is already available in several other European countries. But approval in Italy had been held up so far by the Catholic Church, which opposes abortion and contraception. (read the rest)

Steve Earle Show

Steve Earle was outstanding! Lots of good stories, lots of political sermonizing, songs by Townes mixed with old and new favorites by Steve. Besides being a crackerjack (don't you like that word - "crackerjack"?) songwriter and musician, as well as a most engaging performer, there is so much that he gets right --

• nonviolence
• labor unions
• immigration
• human rights
• energy (you don't burn food -- i.e. corn -- for fuel when there are people going hungry and there's no such thing as "clean coal")
• rich vs. poor

-- and he considers it his responsibility to speak out. During the 8 years of Bush/Cheney, I went to concerts sometimes looking for a word of hope, inspiration, or galvanization. I was usually disappointed by artists who chose to play it safe -- even Arlo Guthrie, for goodness' sake, didn't utter a peep about the Iraq war! Steve is one of a handful of performers makes it his stock and trade, and he does it so well.

High points of the evening? Pancho & Lefty, Good-bye, Jerusalem, Lungs, City of Immigrants … During the encore he announced that he became a first-time grandpa a few days ago and played Little Rock & Roller. (If my kids had been there, they would have checked at that point to see if I was crying. I plead the 5th.)

It was a most satisfying show, and we were in good company with friends Alice and Rob. Here is a list of tour dates, if you're inclined to try to see it. I'd recommend it.

Woo Hoo!

Tonight we are off to Milwaukee (only around these parts we say "M'waukee") for an evening with Steve Earle, performing the songs of his friend, the late, great Townes Van Zandt, in a solo acoustic show. If you aren't familiar with Van Zandt, he was simply one of the finest singer-songwriters around, whose songs have been covered by just about every self-respecting, country-folk musician. In general I prefer to hear Townes sing his own songs, but since he's not here to do it I'll take Steve Earle.

Here is a sample of what he'll be playing tonight:

Attack of the Theater People!

It's a book review, silly. Attack of the Theater People is the sequel to How I Paid For College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater. It was slightly less madcap, and delved into the very serious issue of coming out as a gay man in the early days of AIDS awareness. Otherwise it was a delightful romp from Hell's Kitchen to Upper Manhattan. If you're looking for something to read that is both fun and intelligent, look no further. Recommended.

The Incomparable, Irreplaceable Warren Zevon

I'm so sick of the coverage Michael Jackson is getting! King of Pop? Warren Zevon was the uncrowned King of Cool. He had incredible talent and wit ... and yeah, he screwed up his life too. But he did it all by himself ... he didn't need a weird entourage that included chimpanzees, somebody else's children, and charlatan medical personnel ... and he straightened himself out at the end.

Here is Mohammed's Radio -- a timeless classic that proves the old saying: the more things change the more they stay the same. Or maybe that we never stopped mucking about in the Middle East.

More Summer Reading

I went back to bed this morning so I could finish this book, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Marc Acito. Some of you dear readers may be familiar with Marc Acito. Apparently he has a syndicated newspaper column and is a frequent common 'tater on NPR, known in some circles as the "gay Dave Barry". I have never read or heard any of his work before. A friend (as in the Facebook variety) set me up on a blind date with this book.

What can I say? Read. It. I don't want to say too much about it, but it was, in a word, delicious. With echoes of Red Sky At Morning (the Richard Bradford novel) and and A Prayer For Owen Meany -- two of my favorite coming-of-age novels, I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. It almost made me want to go back and repeat my senior year of high school. (Oh, wait. I didn't have a senior year of high school. I graduated after my junior year with about a million credits in folk dancing augmented by juggling. Life at an alternative high school in the seventies ...)

This kind of book is what summer reading is all about. Ahhhhh. Highly recommended.

Hostile Takeovers of the Corporate Kind, a book review

I have been a fan of the more recent writing of Jon Katz, and I was curious to read some of his earlier writing. Sign Off: A Novel of Men and Work was published in 1991. It chronicles the hostile takeover of United States Broadcasting (USB), a fictitious television network, as seen through the eyes of Peter Herbert, the executive producer of a nationally syndicated morning news program. UBS is taken over by David Nab, a self proclaimed "condo king" who has made a fortune in real estate and wishes to have the prestige that goes with owning a television network. Herbert watches in horror as, in a few short months, Nab lays waste to the network news, as well as the careers, and indeed the lives of his longtime associates, always wondering when the ax will fall on him.

This was a really compelling read. As a lowly Midwestern schoolteacher who has never aspired to the kind of lifestyle that Katz describes, I experienced a kind of guilty pleasure in reading about these people. It was a little like reading a Kitty Kelly tell-all.

Beyond the story however, I think that Sign Off made some important points. If the slash-and -burn mentality that Katz describes is accurate -- and I have no reason to believe otherwise; he did a stint as executive producer of the CBS Morning News -- it speaks volumes to the miserable failure of the mainstream media to take on the corporate culture of American politics, which we saw flourish under the Bush Administration, and sadly continues under Obama.

The novel also underscores something that I have thought about a lot in the last couple of years, watching people I love -- mostly middle-aged men -- struggle with unemployment. I believe from the bottom of my heart that a covenant was broken with American workers, people who spent the better part of their adult lives working hard and paying into "the system" only to be discarded as if they were yesterday's garbage. If you haven't been there, let me tell you -- it shatters a person's sense of self like nothing else can and has enormous impact on family relationships as well.

Furthermore, I question whether when businesses say that they are "losing money" is it really a matter of having a smaller profit margin? I think, in many cases, yes, absolutely. When corporations "downsize" or "cut the fat" it is all about increasing the profits for the stockholders. Tell me, where in the Constitution does it say that stockholders have a right to make huge profits?

Reading Sign Off, I would almost say that Katz was prescient. What happened to television news has also happened in print media, and in fact has reached into almost every corner of our society. I suspect though, that he was just observing the beginning of the corporatization of the U.S. (and the world.) Michael Moore was certainly talking about it and Ralph Nader, of course.

It was also utterly fascinating to see the anatomy of a hostile takeover. It is a term I have heard plenty of times, but really only had the most superficial understanding of what it meant. It strikes me that, among the provisions of that most horrible No Child Left Behind legislation are the sanctions for "failing schools" that include "reconstituting" a school's staff. That's nothing more than a hostile takeover -- welcome to corporatized America. (Don't get me started on Obama and education. I can hardly write about it, I am so furious.)

Sign Off is a very well-written, illuminating, and entertaining book. After many years of writing memoir, Katz is once again returning to fiction. I am looking forward to it.

Recommended, but it might take some digging to find it. It's worth the search.

Book Review: Ladies' Coupe by Anita Nair

I picked up Ladie's Coupe for 80¢ in the St. Vinnie's book room, because I liked the cover. I liked the cover, OK? I defied years of people intoning, "Don't judge a book by its cover ..." and you know what? The Library Goddess did not smite me with her bun and spectacles. That's a good thing.

Reading Ladies' Coupe was a good thing too. This is a novel about Akhila, 45-years old and never married. Her father died when she was in her late teens; as an acknowledgment of his years spent working in an income tax office, Akhila is given a position as an income tax clerk so that she can support her mother, sister and two brothers. And so the years slip by, until one day Akhila realizes that she has done nothing for herself. She decides to take a short vacation to a seaside resort -- alone, much to her family's consternation.

Up until quite recently female travelers on India's railways had the option of riding in the "ladies' coupe" -- a compartment set aside strictly for women. Akhila reserves a seat in a ladies' coupe, and traveling among women whom she knows she will never see again, she feels free to ask them, does she really need a marriage to be fulfilled? During the course of the journey, each of the other 5 women in the coupe has a chance to tell her life story.

For some reason I have a special interest in India. I've loved the films of Mira Nair (no relation to the author of this book that I know of) and have read quite a few novels as well. This really was a marvelous addition to the canon. I recommend it.

Paul and his girlfriend Des

Apparently this eagle, Des, was notoriously cranky with 'most everybody else at the nature center, but took a liking to my brother. He always has been a bit of a ladies' man ...

Bursting With Pride!

How cool is this? Pretty darned cool! Check out the by-line on that article ... THAT'S MY BIG BROTHER!! I am very proud of him, and I forgive him for all the times he teased me and made me cry, even giving me the nickname Sig (Suzy + pig) and shining a light on me and chanting, "Spotlight on stinkbomb Suzy." And you know what? He is a really good writer! Go, Paul!

You have to embiggen this one and tilt your head to read the by-line.

Book Review: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

It is difficult to say much about Monstrous Regiment without giving too much away and spoiling it for you, so I'll keep my review brief. In Monstrous Regiment Pratchett skewers the military industrial complex, the war on Iraq, religious fundamentalists, and traditional English folk songs. This is among my favorite books by Terry Pratchett. It's a hoot.

Believe it or not, I've wondered about this ...

Crooks and Liars has an interesting piece today, tracing California's current fiscal woes back to 1978's passage of Proposition 13.

Here in Wisconsin we have our own version, although ours is not part of the state constitution ... yet. The other thing unique about our revenue caps that supposedly give tax relief to property owners, is that they specifically target K-12 public school districts. Our then-Governor Tommy Thompson (remember Tommy? He ran for the Republican nomination in the last presidential election) had a personal vendetta against teachers. He gave us the revenue caps and took away our right to bargain fair contracts, two gifts that have kept on giving for the last 16 years.

Support Your Local Food Pantries!



Summer is typically a time when food pantries are hurting. Kids who normally get breakfast and lunch at school are home. There is a strain on the resources of food pantries.

Behold, the Million Can March. An alternative to the ridiculous "tea parties" being held around the country this weekend. Something that will make a real difference in the lives of members of our communities.

From Les Enrages.org (the brilliant masterminds behind this movement)

Here are some food suggestions:

• If in doubt, call the agency you plan to donate to and ask them what they need.

Here's a basic list:

• cereal, instant oatmeal
• Canned meats & fish (tuna, salmon, deviled ham, canned chicken, etc)
• Peanut butter, jelly, crackers
• fruits and vegetables
• Soups, stews, canned pasta dishes like beefaroni, lasagna, ravioli
• Boxed potatoes and rice and pasta mixes in a box or pouch
• "Just add water" cake, pancake, muffin mixes, etc.
• Canned and powdered milk
• Infant formula and baby foods

You can also think in terms of a meal:

• Spaghetti sauce and pasta
• Tuna and macaroni and cheese
• Beans & Rice

You get the idea, and then add a vegetable, a fruit, and a sweet treat.

Really, this isn't rocket science. Give what you like to eat!

Here is a link to food pantry and meal sites in the Madison (Wisconsin) area.

A Fruity Book Review

I am a fan of those monomaniacal nonfiction books, the ones that go into great depth on one subject. In this case the subject is fruit and the book is Adam Leith Gollner's The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession. Why fruit? It hasn't really ever before been an obsession of mine. I try to eat my 5 servings a day with varying degrees of success. However, as I read the book, I became aware that I may be a little more fruit-obsessed than I thought. I like growing fruit in my yard: I've been quite successful with currants and raspberries, less so with cherries, choke cherries, and service berries. Those are fruits of the north. Gollner's book is filled with tropical fruits, more fruits than you can imagine.

"The diversity is dizzying: most of us have never heard of the araça, but Amazonian fruit authorities say there are almost as many types of araças as there are beaches in Brazil. Within the tens of thousands of edible plant species, there are hundreds of thousands of varieties – and new ones are continually evolving. Magic beans, sundrops, cannonballs, delicious monsters, zombi apples, gingerbread plums, swan egg pears, Oaxacan trees of little skulls, Congo goobers, slow-match fruits, candle fruits, bastard cherries, bignays, belimbings, bilimbis and biribas. As Hamlet might’ve said: 'There are more fruits in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' ”

Suddenly I feel fruit-deprived; of the small percentage of the world's fruits that are grown or allowed into the U.S., by the time they get to my landlocked city, they will have been on the road for days, sometimes weeks, and the flavor a mere shadow of what it should be. There are the hundreds of varieties of more familiar fruits that have been neglected in our commercial fruit monoculture, so we only ever get to eat one or two varieties of pears, strawberries, bananas, figs, avocadoes, pomegranates, etc. etc. etc. And then there are the fruits that will never make it here: the chupa chupas, bignays, sapotes, gourkas ... Sigh.

(I can't say I'm sad about the durian though. I once had the bad fortune to eat a durian-filled cookie from the Asian grocery store. I absolutely could not choke it down, ended up gagging into the garbage can, and even so, I burped up durian taste all day long. Then again, some people say they have the same reaction to cheese.)

If you ever thought that fruit was just a side dish, an afterthought, guess again. Gollner shows, in no uncertain terms, how fruit has shaped and defined life on earth in general, and human life in particular. He takes the reader to the very extreme edges of his subject: the fanatics who stop at nothing to get their hands on a fruit and the fruitarians -- people who eat nothing but fruit (and their subsets such as the "rockguacamolians" who only eat avocadoes sprinkled with asteroid dust,) and shows us the underbelly of the fruit world as well. The way that the fruit trade is linked to organized crime, for example. The creepy, underhanded treatment and marketing of "wholesome" fruit. The geopolitics of fruit. Or the fact that the idling semi-trucks that serve the huge Hunts Point Fruit Market in the Bronx are responsible for way elevated, life-shortening asthma rates (which I've read about in Jonathan Kozol's books about the work he does with schoolchildren in the South Bronx.)

Reading The Fruit Hunters has made it difficult for me to think about fruit in the same way that I did before. Shopping at my local food co-op this week, I was sorely disappointed to see that, with the exception of one small bin of local apples, virtually all the other fruit was imported from California or Mexico, including the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I had a hard time buying anything!

I have been, however, deeply appreciative of every red raspberry that I have plucked off the bushes in my backyard. I'm thinking of planting a paw paw tree. I am also heading back to a serviceberry tree that I found growing on a city street a few blocks from here, dropping its sweet, delicious berries onto the sidewalk. There are a lot of fruits to forage, right here.

Oh! Am I reviewing a book? Sorry, I forgot. The Fruit Hunters: dripping with sex (yes, really!) An entertaining and enlightening read. Recommended.

Delicious Synchronicity

I am rereading my favorite book by Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment, and was moved to copy down the following quote:

"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it."

Then, as I perused my favorite news sites this morning I found this pearl from "Joe" the "Plumber":

Asked if he has plans to run for public office, he replied, “I hope not. You know, I talked to God about that and he was like, ‘No.’”

Weird, huh?