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Swans Commentary http://www.swans.com/ November 30, 2009 FUNDRAISING TIME: We have gone a long way toward reaching our modest 2009 fundraising goal, but we are not yet there. Please help us reach it. Be there for us now as we will be here for you next year. Oh, it may mean little, but have you ever received a hand-written thank you note -- whether you send $10 or $200 -- from any other publication to which you've sent your hard-earned money? The care with which we put Swans together 26 times a year equals the attention we have for each of you. So, shall you or shall you not help this publication, which is deeply and intrinsically rooted in the rich terroir of solidarity, stay alive? A quaint word indeed -- *solidarity*; but it's a word (and an attitude) that may well come back to the forefront of human consciousness as the world is further challenged by a dire structural and ecological crisis. You do understand the difference between the public good and the private interests, don't you? And you know where Swans stands on that difference, right? So, please help. Donate now! -- http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html Our heartfelt gratitude to Roger Baker, Louis Wilker, Beverly Holley, Roland Chrisjohn, Ernest Boyd, James Farmelant, Ranganathan Ravishankar, Richard Brand, Paul Buhle, Michael DeLang & Phyllis Feigenbaum, Michael Jerro, Aleksandra Krilic, Karen Moller, Deborah Eage, and Gregory Adler for their generous contributions. # # # # # Note from the Editors: Oops, we missed the Thanksgiving consumption orgy, and steered clear of the Black Friday consumer stampede -- a sign of GDP un- Americanism par excellence...as is our continued opposition to the Afghan and Iraqi invasions and occupations. Of course, when Americanism (or white Westernism, for that matter -- aka, supremacism) is defined as war without end, consumerism to death, and self-centered navelism (aka, the "hidden hand" of the *nonexistent* free-market paradigm, and the sum of the selves that miraculously delivers the wisdom of the whole -- ask the Redwoods or the Bluefish tunas...) we are indeed un-American. That's why money is hard coming...but that's another story, which both Don Durivan and Louis Proyect consider in their generous perspectives on why Swans is worthy of your financial support. Please read their words and click on "Donate" before moving on to resident political economist Gilles d'Aymery's shocking statistics on the state of the US economy, some global rankings that may surprise you, a shout-out to the Redwood Credit Union, and more. If you wonder why liberal philanthropists don't throw their monetary weight behind Swans, Michael Barker's essay on a typical "humanitarian" foundation that has played a key role in sustaining our psychopathic capitalist world order will give you some insight. In Africa, where the corrupt elites are in cahoots with their Western partners, magnate Mo Ibrahim established a generous award to promote excellence in African leadership; this year there were no suitable candidates, as Femi Akomolafe laments. Writing from India, Jay Tripathi considers the repression of Kashmiris under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act; and as world leaders prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Martin Murie invokes the extinct Dodo to send a Dickensian message to the "deciders" who are bargaining our planet's future. On a lighter note, Art Shay shows off his new Talking Atomic Watch, accurate to a billionth of a second and quite possibly equipped to set off remote explosive devices, while Steve Shay has some doggone intelligent marketing advice for General Motors. Peter Byrne revisits photographer Robert Frank, whose seminal book "The Americans" appeared 50 years ago; while Charles Marowitz reviews Bill Cain's imaginative play on the life of Shakespeare and Geddeth Smith's biography of American theater's Walter Hampden. From the French Corner, Marie Rennard finds it necessary to give a refresher course on freedom of the press (in French), and also shares a poem (in English). We close with the passionate poetry of Jeffrey Klaehn and your much-appreciated impassioned letters on the death of our dearly missed Priam, and more. # # # # # http://www.swans.com/library/art15/dduriv03.html A Fundraising Appeal - Don L. Durivan http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/why-you-should-contribute-to- swans/ Why you should contribute to Swans - Louis Proyect (This article is posted on the author's personal Blog. The above link will direct you to its original location.) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/desk092.html Blips #92 - From the Martian Desk - Gilles d'Aymery http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker37.html The Russell Sage Foundation And The Manufacture Of Reform - Michael Barker http://www.swans.com/library/art15/femia24.html Mo Ibrahim Africa Leadership Award - Femi Akomolafe http://www.swans.com/library/art15/tripathi02.html Kashmir And AFSPA - Jay Tripathi http://www.swans.com/library/art15/murie83.html The Return Of The Dodo - Martin Murie http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ashay17.html My Atomic Talking Watch - Art Shay http://www.swans.com/library/art15/sshay03.html Pet Project - Steve Shay http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne114.html Never On Time: Robert Frank And "The Americans" - Peter Byrne http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow153.html Shakespeare Refertilized - Charles Marowitz http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow152.html Geddeth Smith's "Walter Hampden" - Book Review by Charles Marowitz http://www.swans.com/library/art15/marier40.html Liberté de la Presse, la nécessaire piqûre de rappel - par Marie Rennard (FR) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/marier41.html He's Gone - Poem by Marie Rennard http://www.swans.com/library/art15/klaehn08.html Our Lips Are Barely Touching - Poem by Jeffery Klaehn http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter179.html Letters to the Editor # # # # # Swans (aka Swans Commentary), ISSN: 1554-4915, is a bi-weekly non- commercial ad-free Web-only magazine which provides original content to its readers. We encourage pulp publications to republish Swans' Work in print format. Please contact the publisher at <aymery AT ix.netcom.com>. Please, do not repost Swans' Work on the Web and other mailing lists: "Hypertext" links to any pages of Swans.com are authorized; however, republication of any part of this site, inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. We welcome your comments and suggestions. When writing to Swans, please indicate your first and last name as well as your city and state (country) of residence. You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your interest in Swans and the work of its team. If you wish not to receive these short notifications, simply reply to this E-mail (delete the content) and enter the word REMOVE in the subject line. We do NOT share your E-mail address with anyone. Cordially, Gilles d'Aymery -- Swans "Hungry man, reach for the book: It is a weapon." B. 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