As California breaks January heat records and counts down the number of days until it runs out of water, the East Coast is struggling with record cold and snow, frantically digging out before next weekend's super-important Super Bowl. One person who won't be watching, apparently among a growing number of uncomfortable fans, is Glenn Reed. Still, rejection of the ultimate glorification of capitalism and competition, as he characterizes it, makes him feel a bit like an alien. After all, what's more cool to an American than a Super Bowl party and all those clever commercials? A lot of things, according to Jonah Raskin -- American music, French writers -- but you won't find football on his list. What's definitely NOT cool is the war being waged on women in this country by the anti-abortion, anti-birth-control, anti-life, so-called pro-lifers like Mike Huckabee, who offended every sensible and sensitive woman, including Jan Baughman. As the saying goes, them's fightin' words... And if you're surprised by the football-capitalism link (by the way, the NFL is a non-profit, 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization with about $9 billion in annual revenues -- capitalism at its finest..), what about the one between capitalism and eco-spiritualism? Michael Barker presents Part II of his look at the life of green guru Satish Kumar.
Now, let it not be said that Swans is not cool. Consider Raju Peddada's second movement in a series on the exceptional creative genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a fitting homage to mark the 250th anniversary of the great composer's birth. Peter Byrne pays his respects to the great Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, who died last week at 80; and on a lighter note, Peter looks back at postmodernist author Robert Coover's 1977 political satire, The Public Burning. Karen Moller shares an excerpt of her forthcoming book, Home Is Where Your Heart Is, and it doesn't get much cooler than Guido Monte's multilingual poetry, this time on old words from the Book of Revelation. Stay cool, or warm, where ever you are. Gilles d'Aymery is off filling a few boxes.
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Glenn Reed: The Tribal Drums Of The NFL & Super Bowlfuls Of Capitalistic Orgasms
Super Bowl Sunday is the ultimate symbol of American capitalism, empire, and everyone's need for a "tribe." More...
Jonah Raskin: Notes On Cool
The author can't really define cool, but he knows it when he sees it, whether the French or American version. More...
Jan Baughman: Waging War On Women
The war on women is being fought on multiple fronts, and it's long overdue for women to fight back. More...
Michael Barker: Green Guru (Part II of II)
Second part of a critical look at Satish Kumar's life of spiritual nonviolence. More...
Raju Peddada: Overture - In Search of Mozart's Genius (Part II)
Part II of a series on the exceptional creative genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. More...
Peter Byrne: Claudio Abbado 1933-2014
Remembering Italy's foremost conductor, Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) More...
Peter Byrne: Reader Burnout
Time to look back at postmodernist author Robert Coover's 1977 political satire, The Public Burning. More...
Karen Moller: Home Is Where Your Heart Is
An excerpt of Karen Moller's novel Forbidden Games. More...
Guido Monte: From the Book of Revelation
Guido Monte writes again old words from the Book of Revelation. More...
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