Labels: Europe, literature
Labels: economy, election 2008, mccain, New Depression, newt gingrich, politics, right wing
PWCW: Is there a particular relationship you see between all of that[Morrison's belief in magic] and comics as a medium?
GM: Comics specifically seem to be quite magical to me—in the sense that they are directly drawn onto paper. They relate back to the very first drawings that people did on cave walls, and people believe now that those things were meant to be magical, that by drawing and creating a model of the bison, you could affect what happened to the real bison. Your hunt would be more successful the next day. So the idea of drawing and creating representations is the very first notion that we had of magic, that you could make an image of something and affect the image and, in turn, affect the reality of the thing. Like sympathetic magic, when you make, for instance, a little doll of someone and then stab it, they will experience something. So that idea of representation, I think, is the first magical idea, and comics is still very close to that.
The thing I love about comics is the actual guy sitting there—with pens and tools and drawing all this stuff in a little room. Actually working on the paper directly with pencils. There’s something really quite strange about that, I feel.
PWCW:“Strange” in that it carries some particular qualities?
GM: “Strange” in the sense that I think there’s so much concentration that goes into the point of those pencils and that line that it’s a magical act. It’s a Zen thing to sit and actually create a comic book. It’s very hands-on. I think it’s got a magical element to it, anyway, and so, for me, it became a way to do voodoo, using... Well, I could create things in the comics that would have affects in my own real life. I found that it would work.
PWCW: You were ill at one point [during the writing of The Invisibles].
GM: Yeah, that was just one of the things. This character thought that his face had been eaten away, then three months later my face actually gets a hole eaten in it! I’m in the hospital dying in almost the same way the character was dying. So then I figured, “Okay, well, let’s give him a good time!” [chuckles] As soon as I got out of the hospital, I started writing the character with a great sex life, and suddenly my own life took off. I really began to feel I was on to something.
I think there's something to this.
Labels: comics, grant morrison, magic
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Positive thinking is endemic
to American culture — from weight loss programs to cancer support groups — and in the last two decades it has put down deep roots in the corporate world as well. Everyone knows that you won’t get a job paying more than $15 an hour unless you’re a “positive person,” and no one becomes a chief executive by issuing warnings of possible disaster.
The tomes in airport bookstores’ business sections warn against “negativity” and advise the reader to be at all times upbeat, optimistic, brimming with confidence. It’s a message companies relentlessly reinforced — treating their white-collar employees to manic motivational speakers and revival-like motivational events, while sending the top guys off to exotic locales to get pumped by the likes of Tony Robbins and other success gurus. Those who failed to get with the program would be subjected to personal “coaching” or shown the door...When it comes to how we think, “negative” is not the only alternative to “positive.” As the case histories of depressives show, consistent pessimism can be just as baseless and deluded as its opposite. The alternative to both is realism — seeing the risks, having the courage to bear bad news and being prepared for famine as well as plenty. We ought to give it a try.
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: music, sex symbol
Labels: comics
Labels: barbie mcmooseburger, election 2008, mccain, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: film
McCain is in his full-blown self-righteous mode. I can’t imagine that undecided voters are responding well to his tone, but then I don’t really understand undecided voters. McCain stupidly reminds people that Obama wanted soldiers out of Iraq last March, which is what people want.
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Of course the irony of all this is how conservatives have, for years, lampooned the liberal pursuit of multiculturalism/identity politics. But here's the thing, even when done haphazardly, awkwardly, and imprudently, the fight against bigotry and ignorance has rewards. But when you decide to not be a leader in the fight against sexism/racism and simply criticize those who do, you rob yourself of political experience. Put differently, there is a price--bigger than the black vote--to be paid for disengagement. You become ignorant of a growing sector of the world. They expected Hillary. And if it were a black man, they never even knew it could be someone like Barack Obama. So these guys go to the well one more time, and ressurect the old spectres of "Us against Them." But the fools haven't been paying attention--the"Us" has changed. This isn't Alabama, and it ain't 1968.
Turns out it helps to actually care about the fate of women, to know something about them, beyond your own lust, when going for their votes. Who'da thunk it? There is a whole class of educated, working women, themselves, the children of educated working women. And this is what McCain has to say to them, "I don't care if you know a thing about foreign policy. I don't care if you know a damn thing about the economy. Here is what you are to me--breasts, hair and a lovely smile."
Labels: election 2008, politics
McCain already did very badly just by displaying such contempt for Obama and starting so many statements with direct insults. I think he was trying to anger Obama. Rage--that's ground that McCain understands. You could see that by how close he seemed throughout to blowing. He seemed insulted just to have to stoop to this, and we all know how well an entitled attitude worked for Hillary. And then his frequent interruptions of Obama, and his obvious waiting-to-talk. And a number of easily disprovable lies, such as the one about supporting solar energy, as well as claiming that he will not raise any taxes, which will now be impossible no matter who wins. And his time at the Hanoi Hilton, which he brandishes like a cross against a vampire.
But the spending freeze(remember, without raising taxes!) sticks out in my mind because of its sheer absurdity. Everything but the military, national security, and vet's benefits? Really? So he's going to close down every federal agency, just for beginners? Does he know what that would entail?
Of course he does and he knows it's absurd. But his base thinks that the government only spends on silly projects, forgetting the salaries of all federal agencies, forgetting infrastructure, and so forth.
What will definitely stay will be the tone. And McCain sounded like, well, some old jerk, and Obama sounded like a president-to-be. The dynamic was very much like the 1992 debate between Clinton & Bush in which Clinton used the "have you no shame" line. Condescension doesn't work in these situations. It's audible sweat. And his constant harping on his experience, which he talks about in lieu of actual ideas that might fix the problems we face, leaves one with the impression that he's delineating this path he's been on so that we might realize that he's earned this, that we should give him the presidency as his rightful career-capping prize. And that's always an endearing attitude.
McCain was hammering more nails into his own coffin, which is a neat trick.(it is something he'd do though if you picture it literally; thinking he was taking firm action, he'd instead have simply denied himself even a resting place) I do believe he'll keep those dang kids off my lawn, if I had one, but otherwise he didn't exactly inspire even abstract confidence tonight. I mean, I couldn't even see how a Republican would feel stoked.
He looked so angry, like he was imagining his hands around Obama's neck. He looked like he was going to burst into rage at any moment. Obama's pretty smart, just mostly letting McCain be his own worst wrecker, and the media have not let up against McCain & Palin since blood was scented.
When Katie Couric manages to unmask a candidate so ruthlessly and with so little effort, you know they're toast. Cold toast at that, which is hardly appetizing. I mean, think about it--Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. Morning anchors, at their hearts--that's the telepersonality they project even now that they're evening anchors. Cheerful, affable, lightweight. (As Couric's a woman that hurts her a lot.) And both of them, without any particular plan, it seems, to "get" Palin, GOT her.
McCain's campaign is nothing but a placeholder. The GOP doesn't want to clean this up. And we all know how they love to leave a huge mess for a Democrat to expend most of their energy, and terms, fixing, and then take them down before they get to any of their actual plans. And then the GOP comes in and go bulimic with whatever surplus has been created, then: Rinse, repeat.
God, what bastards. I'm sorry, but there is a difference between the parties. One is a recognizable political party, however flawed. The other is basically a gang of high-school bullies writ large.
Meanwhile, here's a preview of the Palin/Biden debate. Oh wait, this is Palin's fantasy of how it ought to be conducted.
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, seattle
McCain's reluctance to jump on board the bailout agreement could throw the entire week-long negotiation into a tailspin. Sen. Chris Dodd, after leaving the White House, suggested on CNN that the tenuous process could be derailed by what he viewed as McCain's political motives.
"What happened here, basically, if you want an honest appraisal of the thing, we have been spending a lot of time and I am tired. I have spent almost seven straight days at this in trying to come out with a workout plan for our economy a rescue plan," said Dodd. "What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours and took us away from the work we are trying to do today. Serious people trying to do serious work to come up with an answer."
According to the source with knowledge of the White House gathering -- which featured both presidential candidates, congressional leaders and the President -- virtually ever key figure in the room, save McCain and GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, were in agreement over a revised version of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's plan.
Towards the end, McCain finally spoke up, mentioning a counter-proposal that had been offered by some conservative House Republicans, which would suspend the capital gains tax for two years and provide tax incentives to encourage firms that buy up bad debt. McCain did not discuss specifics of the plan, though, and was non-committal about supporting it.
Paulson, however, argued directly against the conservative proposal. "He said that he did not think it would work," according to the source. At another point in the meeting, President Bush chimed in, "If money isn't loosened, this sucker could go down" -- and by sucker he meant economy.
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: barbie mcmooseburger, election 2008, mccain, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
“It’s not based on any particular data point,” a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. “We just wanted to choose a really large number.”
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression
Labels: barbie mcmooseburger, election 2008, mccain, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she? What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
Labels: election 2008, politics
...beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the [1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division] will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North" -- "the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities." The article details:
They'll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it.
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. . . .
The 1st BCT's soldiers also will learn how to use "the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded," 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.
"It's a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they're fielding. They've been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were
consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re
undertaking we were the first to get it."
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.
"I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered," said Cloutier, describing the experience as "your worst muscle cramp ever -- times 10 throughout your whole body". . ..
The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced "sea-smurf").
Labels: election 2008, politics
In a radio address from Green Bay, Wis., on Saturday, McCain blamed the companies and their political clout for creating the housing mess now roiling Wall Street. "At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," he said. "Using money and influence, they prevented reforms that would have curbed their power and limited their ability to damage our economy. And now, as ever, the American taxpayers are left to pay the price for Washington's failure."
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
The FBI is investigating Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and AIG - and their executives - as part of a broad look into possible mortgage fraud, sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Tuesday.And bankruptcy doesn't protect them from that. This puts an entirely new wrinkle in the bailout, I should think. Remember, these loans were knowingly made willy-nilly just so they could be sold off to investment firms. That's knowing bad faith. The market, at least by the book, was never that free. At least not if you got caught.
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
The assignment is simple: We are going to write letters to the editor and we are allowed to make up whatever we want -- as long as it adds to the campaign. After today we are supposed to use our free moments at home to create a flow of fictional fan mail for McCain. "Your letters," says Phil Tuchman, "will be sent to our campaign offices in battle states. Ohio. Pennsylvania. Virginia. New Hampshire. There we'll place them in local newspapers."
Place them? I may be wrong, but I thought that in the USA only a newspaper's editors decided that.
"We will show your letters to our supporters in those states," explains Phil. "If they say: 'Yeah, he/she is right!' then we ask them to sign your letter. And then we send that letter to the local newspaper. That's how we send dozens of letters at once."
No newspaper can refuse a stream of articulate expressions of support, is the thought behind it. "This way, we will always get into some letters column."
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Many of Lehman's UK staff are particularly angry about the US payouts because it has emerged that in the days running up to the bankruptcy, some $8bn in cash was transferred out of the account of the bank's European business into accounts at the New York head office.
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
It's clear that the McCain campaign has basically decided on using the Bush playbook for handling the press. But I think the campaign made one critical error. The whole bully/lie/clamp-up method of handling reporters works swimmingly if you're already in power. Not so much if you're still trying to get power. It's fine to appoint unqualified hacks to office, especially if you're in your second term. Not so much when you're still running for your first.Don't they kind of need whatever favorable coverage they can get right now? It's just over a month till the election, and the debates begin this week. With questions asked by...the media.
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression, politics
Labels: election 2008, politics
Labels: economy, election 2008, New Depression
For the record, Alan Moore has not softened his view on Hollywood nor its plan to bring his classic graphic novel "Watchmen" to the screen next March."I find film in its modern form to be quite bullying," Moore told me during an hour-long phone call from his home in England. "It spoon-feeds us, which has the effect of watering down our collective cultural imagination. It is as if we are freshly hatched birds looking up with our mouths open waiting for Hollywood to feed us more regurgitated worms. The 'Watchmen' film sounds like more regurgitated worms. I for one am sick of worms. Can't we get something else? Perhaps some takeout? Even Chinese worms would be a nice change."...
"Will the film even be coming out? There are these legal problems now, which I find wonderfully ironic. Perhaps it's been cursed from afar, from England. And I can tell you that I will also be spitting venom all over it for months to come."...
"There are three or four companies now that exist for the sole purpose of creating not comics, but storyboards for films. It may be true that the only reason the comic book industry now exists is for this purpose, to create characters for movies, board games and other types of merchandise. Comics are just a sort of pumpkin patch growing franchises that might be profitable for the ailing movie industry."
Labels: alan moore, comics, film
VLADRUSHKA Issue 2 (2021)
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