Swans Commentary
http://www.swans.com/
June 15, 2009
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Note from the Editors: The illness-industry profiteers are suffering
veritable coronaries over the threat of US health care reform. Whether in the
form of simple cost-cutting efficiencies or outright coverage for all,
lobbyists, politicians, and pundits alike are slinging socialist epithets
hoping to quell the growing sentiment that access to health care is a basic
human right and a single-payer system is not such a bad idea. If you're still
swallowing the scare-tactic propaganda, Gilles d'Aymery reminds us of the
facts and figures behind health-care costs that are bleeding consumers dry,
and shares the recent remarks of Senator Bernie Sanders on a national health
care system. Of course, change is typically attached to strings, as in the
recent credit-card reform bill that permitted loaded guns in National Parks,
the irony of which Jan Baughman illustrates in cartoon form. That very
attitude -- the need to be armed while camping -- is symptomatic of the
chasm, described by Martin Murie, between those who care about living with
other species and those who don't. Considering the chasm between capitalist
interests and indigenous rights, which Michael Barker analyses in the context
of Rio Tinto's mining exploits in Indonesia, it's little wonder that
protection of species -- human or otherwise -- is a never-ending battle...
Jim Tull provides some encouraging words for activists who may at times get
discouraged, as well as some food for thought on how to influence cultural
shift by learning fast, not acting fast.
Thoughts on food are contemplated by two contributors this time around --
Graham Lea examines the French bread subcultures in a humorous and didactic
commentary, and Harvey Whitney shares his observations from a buffet line on
American gluttony, body image, and the influence of the media on both. Two
perspectives on music wax nostalgic for previous eras: Charles Marowitz
considers the neglected Golden Days composer Walter Donaldson, while Raju
Peddada appreciates everything from classical music to classic rock --
everything but migraine-inducing Rap, that is. Peter Byrne pulls a new book
off the shelf and reviews Nelson Algren's "Who Lost An American?" and "Notes
from a Sea Diary," two treasures that have been combined in a single volume.
In the language department, Marie Rennard reveals a translator's thoughts on
the vain pleasures of etymology, in which tracing word origins from one
language to another is anything but a trivial pursuit, and Guido Monte offers
another serving of multilingual, enigmatic poetry. We close with your
letters, from the CEO of World Land Trust defending against Michael Barker's
recent critique, to Peter Byrne on his Gore Vidal review, not much cared for
by one reader.
# # # # #
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ga270.html
American Sick Care Vs. Wellness - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/jeb208.html
Card-Carrying Campers - Cartoon by Jan Baughman
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/murie72.html
The Great Chasm - Martin Murie
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker22.html
Dreams Of Social Responsibility: Rio Tinto, Capitalism, and Indigenous Rights
- Michael Barker
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/jtull01.html
What We Think Is What We Get - Jim Tull
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/glea03.html
FRENCH BREAD: The "Baguette" Versus "Pain de Campagne" - Graham Lea
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/hewhit01.html
Observations Of The Body And American Culture From The Buffet Line
- Harvey E. Whitney, Jr.
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow140.html
The Neglected Walter Donaldson - Charles Marowitz
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/rajup16.html
The Sputtering Volume: The irreversible fade of pop music - Raju Peddada
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne101.html
Captain Algren At The Tiller - Book Review by Peter Byrne
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/marier32.html
Crossed Etymologies - Marie Rennard
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/gmonte69.html
Ultima - Multilingual Poetry by Guido Monte
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter167.htmlLetters to the Editor
# # # # #
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Gilles d'Aymery
--
Swans
"Hungry man, reach for the book: It is a weapon." B. Brecht
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