Archive for October, 2008
So When Does the Latest Version of You Come Out?
More than ever, we are being taught to believe that being current, up-to-date, and “in the know” is of supreme importance. In this age, information is being solicited from every angle, and its acquisition has become a necessity, replacing food and shelter (which have become, in a sense, automatic and indulged without gratitude). By having this content on tap via the internet and other media outlets, we convince ourselves that this stream of knowledge is paramount to enhancing our lives. It is the gas that fuels conversations among friends, and it is on its way to replacing our brains rather than supplementing them. History has become irrelevant at this stage. Keeping up with the latest news while constantly updating our profiles, blogs, and consumer interests has become a full-time job in and of itself. What then is the point in going to school? Everything we learn will be out-dated by the time we graduate. There is no hoop more important for us to jump through than the current one. Learning from the past ideas and actions of other people and cultures is virtually useless and has no place among the other information competing for our attention. And so long as we keep ourselves busy with these never-ending endeavors, we can be sure that we’ll never have to question why any of this really matters.
Illustration by Mary Rose.
1 commentKnee-Jerk Fantasies Meet Harsh Reality
Fantasy fuels the hands
That effortlessly land
On the objects of their pleasure
Each surface is pre-measured
Each feeling preconceived
On the notions of their deeds
And so nothing could withstand
The drive to their climax
During moments he’d enacted
A play where he would practice
Pursuing his attractions
Now on this day in passing
Their motions would unravel
Like knee-jerk reactions
The distance has been traveled
Before the first contractions
In moments brief
Unfolding dreams
Would call his hands to action
He watched the scene take place
And never felt a trace
Of strength or of resistance
And just like that it ended
But everything had happened
Just like he’d imagined
And it was a terribly long and lonely drive home
The Books: “Meditation”
Take a break and meditate with this between-songs audience occupying clip from The Books’ live performance.
“Meditation” by The Books.
No commentsFilm: Taxi to the Dark Side
Last week an excellent documentary was released on DVD called Taxi to the Dark Side. Written and directed by Alex Gibney (see also Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), the film tackles the issue of torture as an interrogation technique used by the United States military.
Prior to a couple of my friends getting involved in anti-torture protests this past year, I hadn’t really thought much about the issue. I suppose this is because I’m insulated enough from it that I don’t have to think about it, much less do anything about it. Here the issue is made impossible to ignore, however, as Gibney and his crew center a complex discussion around an innocent taxi driver named Dilawar who was captured and killed by U.S. forces. This was a real man who had committed no crime, whose wife and child were left without a husband and father because of mistakes that trickled down the chain of command and into the hands of under-informed soldiers.
Surprisingly, the majority of the subjects interviewed here are soldiers, some of which contributed to Dilawar’s death. Together they share how the lack of interrogation guidelines, along with pressure to get terrorist-related information from their detainees led to the suffering of hundreds of people who were denied a right to trial. In particular, Dilawar’s legs had become so “pulpified” (as the coroner put it) that they would have needed to be amputated had he lived past his five days in Bagram.
Later, it was discovered that the person who had picked up Dilawar and his cab customers as a suspect for firing rockets at a U.S. military base was himself the culprit. In addition, (as of September 11, 2006) over 83,000 others have been detained by the U.S. military without being given a trial. As the film shows, a study of classified government documents revealed that only 7% of Gauntanamo Bay detainees were captured by U.S. and coalition forces, while the rest were turned over by Afghan warlords and Pakistanis, sometimes in exchange for thousands of dollars.
The problem is massive, and the film does a thorough job of analyzing it under two hours. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary last year, and received a score of 100% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes (71 counted). I highly recommend renting or purchasing a copy as it’s given me a greater understanding of a current issue I’d previously ignored. It’s certainly not an enjoyable film, but an important one for sure.
A poster for Taxi to the Dark Side.
1 commentDanny Heggen: Voices on the Inside
A friend of mine named Danny Heggen took a trip to Australia last year to interview women at a gender-specific prison called Boronia. Unlike most, Boronia was created as a “Pre-Release Centre for Women” and was designed to address the unique needs of law-offending women preparing to re-enter society. The result of Danny’s excursion was a book called Voices on the Inside: The Women of Boronia. The 60-page book is mostly comprised of nine stories from different incarcerated women whom Danny interviewed while there, edited and re-told in a replication of their unique voices.
For a long time I’ve found it interesting to trace terrible events back to their roots in an attempt to prevent further disasters, and this collection of stories does that in great detail. Over the course of the book, we are taken through each inmate’s childhood and several of the key events leading to their arrest and move to Boronia. Many of these women had brutally nightmarish early lives which easily explain why they turned to drug abuse, theft, gambling or other dead-end solutions. By allowing these people to publicly acknowledge their crimes and how they arrived at them, it helps dissolve the boundary between us and the mug shots we see on T.V.
What is most exciting about the book is the fact that Boronia seems to be excelling by treating its residents much better than the average prison. Rather than forcing prisoners through a living hell as punishment for their deeds, it offers help through its programs geared for a positive release. For example, one woman writes about being allotted a certain amount of funds to purchase food each week as a way of learning to budget money.
Overall I found the book to be a fascinating and encouraging read, and while there are currently no more copies available for sale, that may change in the future. Currently Danny is at work on a similar project, collecting stories from homeless youth in Des Moines to be collected in a new book whose profits will go toward helping impoverished kids around Iowa. Danny is soon planning to join as a writer for the Shrieking Tree blog as well, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about that project soon. But for the time being, I wanted to let you all know a bit about his background. I think it’s wonderful work, and hopefully he’ll get his wretched tucchus in gear and start posting soon.
Voices on the Inside: The Women of Boronia.
No commentsThe Books: “That Right Ain’t Shit”
As a reminder to check out The Books’ odd and smile-inducing catalogue of sample-soaked music, here’s a clip from the video for “That Right Ain’t Shit”. While touring with them in spring of 2006, they opened each show with this song, and it was consistently a treat to watch the crowds react to this sort of music springing to life in a live setting. If you haven’t taken a look at their Playall DVD, check out the shed on the aforelinked site.
A clip from “That Right Ain’t Shit” by The Books.
No commentsMeredith Bogacz: On the Porch EP Released
Last week we fed your mouths a chunk of lush Celtic fiddle, courtesy of Make-Believe Machines’ string-wrapped consultant, Meredith. Well now a savory sampling of the mystical Bogacz’s violin can be yours…but only for a limited time(!!!) The discs will cost you $7 plus shipping, and the details can be found on her Web site. This is Meredith’s debut release and it’s quite a pleasant listen.
Unwed Sailor: Winter Tour
While Santa bags up his burlap sacks with the sacrificed bodies of overeager shoppers, while young Timothy Shattercox lusts after the shimmering Webkinz with special edition porcupine quills (perfect for eye-gouging that lout Gregory next door), while Jack Frost is nipping at your nether-regions, and while the most bombastically lit nativity scene ever built is being crafted in a church basement to the tune of $100,000 (to remind us all that a homeless man is the reason for the season)…while all that is happening, Johnathon Ford and his music-kin are readying themselves for a winter romp to rival all romps prior. Have a look at the latest tour dates I’ve posted on their Web site for details…and happy October!
Photograph by Jaret Farretusco
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