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 |  probably stuff i think is funny. or aggravating. or both. |
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| hey you, up there. you listening? http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/before-the-battle.h... everyone, keep iran in your thoughts tomorrow. |
| ebert fracking rocks. no way around it. excerpted from his blog: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/06/the_oreilly_procedure.html#more "But a team of media researchers at Indiana University studied every editorial broadcast by [Bill] O'Reilly during a six-month period and found a similar nativist cast. Among the findings of their paper published in the Journal Journalism Studies was this one: According to O'Reilly, victims are those who were unfairly judged (40.5 percent), hurt physically (25.3 percent), undermined when they should be supported (20.3 percent) and hurt by moral violations of others (10.1 percent). Americans, the U.S. military and the Bush administration were the top victims in the data set, accounting for 68.3 percent of all victims. In their analysis, the researchers concluded: The same techniques were used during the late 1930s to study another prominent voice in a war-era, Father Charles Coughlin. His sermons evolved into a darker message of anti-Semitism and fascism, and he became a defender of Hitler and Mussolini. In this study, O'Reilly is a heavier and less-nuanced user of the propaganda devices than Coughlin. What were those "same techniques?" The Indiana team quoted an earlier study: The seven propaganda devices include: * Name calling -- giving something a bad label to make the audience reject it without examining the evidence; * Glittering generalities -- the opposite of name calling; * Card stacking -- the selective use of facts and half-truths; * Bandwagon -- appeals to the desire, common to most of us, to follow the crowd; * Plain folks -- an attempt to convince an audience that they, and their ideas, are "of the people"; * Transfer -- carries over the authority, sanction and prestige of something we respect or dispute to something the speaker would want us to accept; and * Testimonials -- involving a respected (or disrespected) person endorsing or rejecting an idea or person. These techniques, first listed in the 1930s, paint an uncanny portrait of what you can see and hear any night on the O'Reilly Factor. Using analysis techniques first developed in the 1930s by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis, [professors] Conway, Grabe and Grieves found that O'Reilly employed six of the seven propaganda devices nearly 13 times each minute in his editorials. His editorials also are presented on his Web site and in his newspaper columns." articulating what we know in our gut, and backing it with sound scientific research is important to making headway against fearmongers. knowledge not only protects you from undue influence, it offers a method of resistance. here's to returning to a more civil public discourse on all current events. |
hi, all! this week's story, for your eyeballs.
i hope you'll like this one, d.  |
| in less than 2 weeks!! i'll officially be in my 40s, rather than hanging on the last cusp of what used to be my youth. *sigh* well, in lieu of flowers, please consider granting my bestest birthday wish: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/88909?m=e0bc6388 many critters that could use a kindness thank you! |
| if you've been following the election and aftermath in iran, and would like to see some videos and slideshows of what it's been like on the streets in tehran: http://www.iran101.blogspot.com/ amazing stuff, and my heart is in my throat when i watch it. i'm so proud of the mousavi supporters for standing up for their rights, for risking so much to speak their minds in solidarity. one photo of a young protestor helping an injured police officer away from the fracas illustrates the spirit of the situation to me--these people want their rights, not to wreak havoc. that they've gotten the word (and images) out despite the efforts of ahmadinejad and the iranian govt to suppress communications leaving the country warms my cockles and swells my bosom. |
| god, but i love the onion. http://www.theonion.com/content/video/conservatives_warn_quick_sex?utm_source=b-... they have mastered using the absurd as satire, taking the ridiculous to its most outrageous extreme to illustrate a point. them's good eyeball stimuli!! |
my latest short fiction:
enjoy! |
| published one of my stories in their June/July issue. yay!! here's a quick link for you: http://alienskinmag.com/flash17.htm another notch on my writing post, and i'm a little extra proud of this one, since it's one of my earlier stories. please check it out. and once you're there, stick around and read some of the other stories offered up this issue--good stuff! |
hi, all. i'm back to writing on a regular basis again, so yay! 2 new short stories, and i've committed myself to adding 500+ words per day on my "The Grace of the World" novel--the first one i haven't finished. yep.  so far, i've added about 3000 words or so; a new chapter that has some exciting moments, i think. so, here are links to the new stories. i've been exploring aspects of the occult. (sorry, b.  )
each one rewards long reviews with scads of GPs. please let me know what you think! in other news, i'm still waiting to hear back on the last batch of job applications . . . sigh. i'm wavering on the school thing, as something in my gut keeps telling me i should listen to what the world is shoveling and just freaking write the novels, already. focus on the writing, and maybe i'll end up actually changing my life for the better, career-wise. the part of me that screams "security!!" wants me to return to school. harrumph. will update as events unfold. hope y'all are fabulous and covered in sequins.  |
| have you all heard of http://www.ruthlesspeoples.com? well, lemme tell you. a new online literary magazine, only a few issues in and already accomplished and growing. the editor only accepts solid work, and then collaborates with the writer to hone and chisel the tale to sharp, bone-splitting precision. wonderful stuff. if you're looking for new fiction of all persuasions to read--fiction you can rely on to be well-written and compelling--visit this site and sign up for upcoming issues. in fact, you can download previous issues right now--for free! no fee involved! ever! support this worthy effort and delight yourself at the same time. don't worry, i won't look.  ps--the editor is also taking submissions, so fire up your keyboards and send him a lil' somepin' somepin'. |
| hi, all-- i've mentioned the writer's site www.bookrix.com before, i think. originally a german site designed to help writers connect and to post their work for public consumption--yes, be careful posting any work you'd like to be paid for later--the bookrix folks branched out to create an english site, too. yay! still pretty new, and fledgling in many respects, the site needs more active writers on board. but, that's not why i'm bringing up the site tonight. here's why: i'm featured in the bookrix site blog tomorrow!! please take a moment and check it out, won't you? http://blog.bookrix.com/ tomorrow, tuesday, may 26th. send your wdc sistah some love. thanks!! |
| you know, when you don't have a job it's harder to remember which day it is. it's not monday, is it? *sigh* here's this week's official prompt: http://ted.org/index.php/talks/keith_barry_does_brain_magic.html while entertaining, this video also asks some intriguing questions about our brains and how they work--whether we use these ideas for the science or the potential magical applications, i can just feel the stories teeming under the surface. bring me one!! |
| official monday prompt: when you stand at the edge of the chasm, when your toes hang out over nothingness deeper than the starkness of your soul, when air dank with despair slides over your face in a moist caress, when you walk away from a job that--but i digress. what do you see when you face the abyss? look closely and then tell me your secrets. |
| i found this compelling and beautiful lecture by elizabeth gilbert at www.ted.org: http://ted.org/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html she talks about the flaw in associating creativity with suffering, and the talk progresses to rethinking how we see creativity altogether--as more of a borrowed genius than an intrinsic belonging to ourselves. give her a listen. thinking about her theory of genius, i started to feel better about my six-week crisis of confidence with my own writing. i begin to see the benefit in not believing my own hype, in approaching writing as a learned skill to be practiced, and not sparks of inspiration to be tossed onto the page like word salad. i've avoided analyzing my writing closely, superstitious about looking too closely and discovering there's nothing between the threads on the page--that close examination would cause my attempts to evaporate in the heat. but maybe forcing myself to look is the best answer. elizabeth gilbert talks about the fear associated with creativity, and she acknowledges she feels it, too. this shared humility is inspiring, and that locked pit in my stomach is hopefully opening a bit, letting me remember storytelling for the joy and connection with others. i'm hopeful i'll learn how to write again through this adjusted perspective, and maybe this time develop skills based on confidence of message and technique, instead of relying on magic and instinct. maybe i'll figure out how to blend them together to create something truly special. |
| okay, you know what?? i'm pissed off. i decided this year i'd attempt to grow something green. something that produces a veggie of some kind. a veggie i'd like to eat. so, i planted a couple summer squash seeds, watered them, breathed love unto them, and lo, they sprouted. they sprouted and spread their tender leaves, unfurling them to the gentle spring sun, soaking up nutrients from the soil. *sigh* it was awesome. i was sure they'd begin to show fresh little buds soon, and that several weeks from now i'd be nomming on some succulent summer squash saute. but it was not to be. today, i came home from work and visited the planter to check on my sprouts, and instead found two empty sockets in the soil. two violated pits in my planter, scattered mounds of violent evidence surrounding them. i knew what happened, and was determined the criminal would pay and pay dearly. then, i looked into his eyes. joy danced there, beads of pure light, and behind him his tail wagged hard enough for lift off, if he so chose. i sighed and gave in to his exuberance. and i dubbed my dog henry "squash sprout eater", in addition to his other monikers: "pee foot", "ham head" and "love dog." i just can't stay mad at that guy. |
| training training training training training lunch training training training training training gym home dinner pet dogs smooch hubby sleep training training training training training--KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!!! if only that's how it worked. my brain's so crammed full of new acronyms, behavioral health lingo and jargon and documentation standards and person-centered strengths-based communication guidelines and clinical diagnosis terms and crisis interventions (non-violent and otherwise--the crises, not the interventions) and job-specific computer databases and protocols and omg am i ever gonna learn all this stuff? and i haven't even gotten to the CSAs (community service agencies). it's a whole new world, and i'm a suckling babe clutching at the teat. would somebody please change my diaper? |
| actually, that's not quite right. today was fine until the last fifteen minutes at work. then, all hell broke loose. violence and blood and broken glass and punching and slashing. armed police action. all that in the front lobby. it was exciting, especially the few seconds i wasn't sure where the guy was--whether he'd broken through (or started the tirade) inside the staff offices...i realized pretty quick that wasn't the case, and the more weathered case managers didn't even interrupt their phone conversations to check out the ruckus. but for a noob, it was a moment of reality. i'm not sure i like reality so much. *sigh* i thought i was fine after, and when the lockdown was released i left work. no signs of shakiness or upset--until i accidentally drove over a parking lot cement curb thingy. in my defense, it wasn't visible from the driver's seat. and i'm fine now. i hope my car is . . . |
| hi, all-- my aimless browsing brought me to a website i hadn't seen before: http://www.plinky.com/ it's designed for bloggers, providing daily prompts and/or challenges for our posts. all-purpose prompts for free. check it out, why don'tcha? because sometimes we all have a little trouble finding a perky new idea to blog about. |
| so, today was my final day working at the bookstore. i'm much luckier than so many other people. i wasn't laid off, i left after making a sober decision about my future and what i want to do. i'm moving on to a challenging and hopefully fulfilling job which actually pays MORE than my old job. and still, i'm sitting here feeling weepy. i leave so many wonderful people behind, and so many memories. like i told a good friend, i feel like i grew up working at the bookstore. i was there over twelve years. now, starting monday, i work for a non-profit community organization. a different job in a different field, and i'm starting from scratch at forty years old. yikes. but i'm eager to begin learning this new world, to get my feet wet and kick ass. i think until monday, though, i'm going to feel very weird. floaty, without anchor. if you're curious, here's the website for my new employer: http://www.copebhs.com the other side of all this is that two of my friends and coworkers were laid off this week. yep. thursday. both supervisors, one after having worked for the company over twenty years. they received little notice, although they will have a severance package to lean on for a little while. still, talk about muddying up the ambivalence even more. this is not a friendly economy right now. right. now would be a good time for gratuitous ice cream.   |
| hi, all. i mentioned the other day a new online magazine called ruthlesspeoples.com. my friend and mentor, dominic, is launching the first issue this month, march 14th. the magazine is geared toward juicy fiction and poetry readers can sink their teeth into; writing that's unpredictable and well-wrought. i encourage everyone to subscribe to the publication and see what it's all about. there's no risk--subscription is FREE--and you may find yourself addicted to each month's new dose. i know i can't wait! give it a looksee. take a chance. let love in. www.ruthlesspeoples.com |
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