We have reached our 2009 fund raising goal thanks to the last-minute contributions of Mark Lause, Michael & Therese Pacheco, and David Patterson. Many thanks to all who have generously supported our efforts. Best wishes for the New Year.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not the commercial Christmas season, but the time to cast all seriousness aside and produce our Infamous Predictions™ -- always irreverent, usually silly, and sometimes even correct! Although we didn't foresee the Pope's Christmas Eve tackle, or Dick Cheney's much-anticipated gift of an attempted terrorist attack, we predict that next year the Vatican will be on threat level red, and airline passengers will have to remove their underwear along with their shoes when passing through security. Sit back, relax, suspend rationality, and enjoy!
Now that we've had our fun, it's time to get back to more serious business. Gilles d'Aymery sends some multilingual holiday greetings and shares a few tidbits on human commonality, war as a means for peace, Obama and the Establishment, and pacifism and radicalism; with special thanks to Swans contributors and donors. We found it apropos, in the context of peace, to republish Jan Baughman's cartoon on the continuing ideological struggle of the 21st century. And in this charitable season, you'd be well advised to read Michael Barker's exposé on World Vision's historical ties to US foreign policy elites and religious activists. Meanwhile, Ghana is under attack by Western vultures -- Femi Akomolafe reports on his government's handling of the new-found oil and gas reserves, and who stands to gain and lose. Finally, neither cold nor snow will prevent Martin Murie from taking to the streets on behalf of the environment and ending the Afghanistan War.
Turning to our culture corner, Peter Byrne reviews the memoir of writer Sara Paretsky in a fascinating tale of her hard-edged 1960s Chicago life. Art Shay considers the great movie directors, movie stars, and his King Kong brush with Jessica Lange; Charles Marowitz examines the myriad interpretations of Hamlet and the actresses who played the role over the years; and Isidor Saslav introduces us to violin legend and his former teacher, Josef Gingold. We close this year out with the multilingual poetry of Silvia dello Russo and Guido Monte and a poem by Jeffery Klaehn, your letters, and our wishes for a peaceful world and human solidarity.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.
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SWANS: 2010 Predictions
Swans annual irreverent, humorous, and sometimes prescient predictions for the year 2010, in which everyone and everything is subject to our silly prognostications. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Blips #93
A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, from multilingual holiday greetings and human commonality; war as a means for peace; Obama and the Establishment; to pacifism and radicalism; with special thanks to all our contributors and donors; and more, without ever forgetting a beloved companion. More...
Jan Baughman: The Ideological Struggle Continues
Editorial cartoon: As we revisit this cartoon first published in October 2007 we see that whether it's President Bush or President Obama, the ideological struggle between humanity and war continues. More...
Michael Barker: The Religious Right And World Vision's "Charitable" Evangelism
Reasons why you might think twice before supporting World Vision. More...
Femi Akomolafe: The Descent Of The Vultures
The author reports from Ghana on Western oil multinationals' struggle to gain access to the country's crude oil, and its officials willing to sign it away without jobs and benefits to the Ghanaian people. More...
Martin Murie: Climate Change
Martin Murie takes to the streets on behalf of the environment and ending the Afghanistan War. More...
Peter Byrne: A Private Feminine Eye
Sara Paretsky's memoir Writing In An Age of Silence recounts the hard-edged 1960s Chicago life that led her to social work, feminism, and political engagement. More...
Art Shay: King Of What World?
Art Shay considers the great movie directors, movie stars, and his King Kong brush with Jessica Lange. More...
Charles Marowitz: Asta Nielsen & Hamlet's Gender-Benders
Charles Marowitz considers the myriad interpretations of Hamlet, including the actresses such as Asta Nielsen and Sarah Bernhardt who played the role over the years. More...
Isidor Saslav: Josef Gingold Turns 100
A violin legend and his memorials. More...
Silvia dello Russo and Guido Monte: Überhaupt schlüßig Polyhedron
Another little linguistic travel of Guido Monte and Silvia Dello Russo through Joyce, Borges, and Schmidt. More...
Jeffery Klaehn: Early The Evening Before
Thinking of the woman who aroused his desires the night before. More...
Martin Murie's extinct Dodo is sighted on Google, and Narco News' Al Giordano takes on Michael Barker and our Editor over an article that Stephen Gowans supports at the risk of his own "journalistic proctological exam." More...
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