New (Socialist) Direction

I really am exhausting myself on these NYT briefings. Beyond question, Apocrypha in Philadelphia only boasts a scarcity of followers, most of which remain loyal friends of mine outside the blogosphere. Is it that I am deprived of spontaneity? Am I truly deep-rooted in this lackluster existence? The possibility of it frightens me to the core.

Whatever the case may be, I will hereby direct any forthcoming posts to socialists, writers, hobos, and film snobs. Let me start by linking a slow-witted essay on, ironically, George Orwell’s injudiciousness. Click.

New Testimonies of Killings in Gaza

The atrocities endured in Gaza have been open to discussion of late. International rights groups have accused the Israeli military of excessive force and wanton killing of civilians. The estimated number of Palestinian fatalities reaches some 1300, with a large portion (allegedly 2/3 of that number) being women and children, according to Gaza officials. Now testimony is emerging within the ranks of Israeli soldiers and officers. An excerpt from the front page of the NYTimes:

On Thursday, the military’s chief advocate general ordered an investigation into a soldier’s account of a sniper killing a woman and her two children who walked too close to a designated no-go area by mistake, and another account of a sharpshooter who killed an elderly woman who came within 100 yards of a commandeered house.

When asked why that elderly woman was killed, a squad commander was quoted as saying: “What’s great about Gaza — you see a person on a path, he doesn’t have to be armed, you can simply shoot him. In our case it was an old woman on whom I did not see any weapon when I looked. The order was to take down the person, this woman, the minute you see her. There are always warnings, there is always the saying, ‘Maybe he’s a terrorist.’ What I felt was, there was a lot of thirst for blood.”

Even Israeli ethicists are troubled by the testimonies. I think it’s fair to say the soldier’s accounts of the Gaza killings are true, and alas, malign by every measure. Humanitarian networks must be alarmed and in furor.

Living St. Louis Video – T.S. Eliot

Originally broadcast 10/20/08:

Patrick Murphy tours the childhood home of the great 20th century writer, T.S. Eliot, and explains St. Louis’ impact on the author’s poetry. Eliot left St. Louis, moving first to the east coast and then to England. The T.S. Elliot Society recently celebrated Eliot’s 120th birthday.

Digital Seattle

Monday morning, it was announced by Roger Oglesby, publisher of the Seatlle Post-Inteligencer, that the paper would produce its last printed edition on Tuesday. This according the New York Times.

I’m not one of those stoic, anti-technology traditionalists in ire over the digital tendencies of the 21st century. I recognize technological innovation as a monumental source of societal growth. But let’s face it, I’m not computer-savvy, and I really don’t want other major American newspapers following this synthesized path. The Seattle Post-Intelligence should be ashamed of succumbing to its economic woes. If P-I thinks it will regain that 14 million they lost in 2008, they should reconsider they’ll online model. There are millions of people who prefer to read a local paper physically. However, lack of advertisers is the problem not lack of readers. It’s time newspapers like P-I recognize that advertisers still advertise, they are just less likely to hope they don’t waste half their money.

Update

It’s been many a-day since I’ve showed my presence around these blogopsheric parts. In large, that’s due to excessive amounts of homework. I’m dog-tired, gassed, enervated. Fortunately I was able to relax over spring break, kick my feet up, indulge in an Eggers novel, and treat myself to kiwano fruit and Stolichnaya vodka. I self-sated over break, and administered one boney, pale middle finger to academia in the process. If there are hipster gods, they were surely propitiated by my slack this week.

There’s an interesting article on Standpoint which can be found on my blogroll through the Arts and Letters Daily link. The article is about economic theory and the free-market’s current downturn. I mulled over the thought of capitalism’s systematic breakdown and came to a conclusion. I blame the contemporary crisis on a few heedless conservatives, not capitalism. I recognize the foundering as a calamity but no longer push my post-Keynes, social liberal views into the faces of my peers. I have friendships to manintain, records to listen to, classics to read. I’ll leave the scapegoating to political correspondants and antipathetic Republicans.

Guilt-ridden?

BBC reports that two out of three people admitted lying about reading a book to impress someone. The online survey included over 1300 people. Orwell’s classic eclipsed all, with Tolstoy’s War and Peace not finishing far behind. To my dismay, 24% admitted lying about reading The Bible. The Bible? Apparantly a small portion of the UK uphold a different defintion of the word impress than I. The Bible? I guess I can find it slightly impressive for it’s no easy armchair read. And, in fact, it contains really good literature. But I’d prefer one of those ‘Atheist Guides to a Moral Life’  or something. It’s realistically uplifting. But who am I to judge? I’m a literature major. And for the record, I’ve lied about reading Dostoevsky before. Or rather, I’ve made pre-mature comments about The Brothers K.

Secret Son Book Trailer

Laila Lalami’s publisher has set up a book trailer for Secret Son. Have a look:

There’s a link to Laila’s website on my blogroll for anyone who’s interested. Formerly known as “Moorish Girl” Laila has published literary criticism and political essays in The Boston Globe, Boston Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Her first commerical publication, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was released in the fall of 2007. You can pre-order her first novel, Secret Son by clicking the link above.