because folks liked my last version of this, for your viewing pleasure, below are the books i read last week. it’s a pretty exciting list:

1. Patrik Ourednik’s Europeana: A Brief History of the Twentieth Century (Dalkey Archive, 2005): The twentieth century boiled down to painstakingly concise and shocking truths. No one is left unscathed or uncriticized in this book. Ourednik’s dry humor pairs well with sentences that are dense in their simplicity, that makes sense. For instance: “Psychiatrists said that in many people the First World War provoked traumas that had been previously hidden in the unconscious, and in the 1920s and 1930s the people started to be neurotic because they were not adapted to their inner or outer state, and in Europe in the 1960s, 25% of women and 15% of men were neurotic, and journalists called it the disease of the century. And in the 1970s the number of people suffering from depression also started to rise, and at the end of the century every fifth citizen of Europe was depress” (65). Every sentence in Europeana reads this way: biting, revealing, absurd, contradictory, a slap across an entire century’s big sweaty face.

2. Urs Allemann’s Babyfucker (Les Figues, 2010 but available now!): This is a book to talk about. This is a book you want to carry around with you, just so people can ask you what it’s about. Last week, as I was sitting at a cafe in South Bend, this slender volume lying on top of my usual stack of library books. It’s cover is a lovely yellow, it’s spine an unobtrusive pink. But the title! The title is what interests people most. So someone asks me: What’s that you’re reading? And I say: Babyfucker. Just like that. And that person responds: Hmm. There’s no follow-up question. I have to force their discomfort. I say: It’s a book about a man who fucks babies, or not. It’s this little Beckettian book, this man obsessed with the sentence, ‘I fuck babies,’ constantly repeating, ‘I fuck babies. That’s my sentence.’ Whether or not he actually fucks the babies is irrelevant to the reader, but to that person standing by your chair at the cafe, that’s the only question that matters. Here’s the thing, I haven’t even started touching the substance or the incredible writing in this book, but it’s all solid. This is an inadequate review of a truly stunning book, but I’ve only managed to do exactly what I’ve criticized that person at the cafe of doing: getting lost in the spectacle.

3. Shane Jones’s The Failure Six (Fugue State Press, 2009): I didn’t read this book last week. I read it today. This morning, in fact. Reminiscent of Ben Marcus’s Notable American Women, though the language does not jar radical displacement, this sick little fairy tale took me to a world without speech, a world of recycled bureaucracy, a place of tests and windows, foxes and leashes, men with green beards, extended onomatopoeia, geometric shapes everywhere, and certain execution. The thing is, Jones does all of this unassumingly. His writing is unadorned but somehow still poetic. This is a story about failure, but not just failing once. No, that would be too easy. These characters fail again and again, each time worse than the one before, each time more wary of punishment. I left this book feeling destitute, and that was ok by me. Shane’s gotten a lot of press lately because of the well-deserved love of his first book, Light Boxes, but people, don’t forget about this one! Love this one too! Shane makes me smile.

4. Jeff Clark’s Ruins (Turtle Point Press, 2009): [Note: I couldn't find an image for this book, which is lame, because it's gorgeous.] This slim volume of poetry is what I would want a volume of my poetry to look like, if I wrote poetry. First off, it’s hard cover, which seems like a rare artifact these days. The pages, some black some white, contain as many photographs as poems. But now to the poetry itself: many of the poems in this collection are conversations with other writers and artists, particularly the Surrealists. Clark’s poems cycle through repetition, each word carefully chosen, carefully placed. This is no surprise because Clark is also a book designer. He’s also got a lovely translation of Louis Aragon’s “Poem to Cry in Ruins.” If I knew more about poetry, I’m sure I’d say lots of smart things here, but alas, I’ll suffice to say I read & enjoyed this book a great deal and hope you will do the same.

5. Fernando Pessoa’s Book of Disquietude: Noah Cicero suggested I read this book. I don’t really remember how or why he suggested it (does context really matter?), but I read it and loved it. I’ve been told that I read the wrong version though. Published posthumously, this is a book of fragmented meditations on anything and everything but particularly loneliness. Though sometimes a bit too self-indulgent for my tastes, it’s a worthwhile read, for sure.

6. Mati Unt’s Things in the Night (Dalkey Archive, 2006): This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Seriously, it seems like I’ve liked everything I’ve read this week, and yes, I have, but Unt’s book is the whole package: sophisticated concept, moral questioning, and the writing itself!! This novel begins simply: “My Dear, I feel I owe you an explanation. / First, I have to admit that I have always had an interest in electricity.” From there, readers follow the narrator as he tries to write a book on electricity, while Estonia (and the world as a whole) creeps steadily towards disaster. Unt showcases his writerly breadth, moving between forms and styles, each one poetic and ominous. I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ve never read a hand-job scene like the one in this book! This is a book about humanity: its glory and faults, aspirations and promise of failure, and of course, the people who remain, here, in pause, waiting.

7. Steve Tomasula’s TOC (FC2, 2009): In my last post about my readings, I made it a point to say that I wasn’t including any books I read for school, but in this case, I feel like it’s necessary for me to mention TOC. I’m teaching Tomasula’s DVD novel tomorrow for my fiction writing workshop, and I can’t say how much I love this book! It’s visually stunning, cutting edge like drawing blood (& to think: if the technology had been ready for him, Steve would have had this out a decade ago!), and conceptually masterful. People haven’t paid much attention to TOC, but you should! Buy it!

So that’s me. What have you been reading?

Quando vi esse pico nas revistas logo fui no utube (que estava no seu começo) e procurei imagens, pois fotos nunca passam a real dimensão da brincadeira.

Não tinha nada!!!

Hoje me lembrei dessa pesquisa e resolvi fazê-la de novo e aí está o encontrado:

Reparem que esse vídeo foi filmado em 2004, mas só foi postado no utube em 2007.

UM POUCO MAIS DE MAVERICKS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Have as much fun as you possibly can, and quit thinking so much” -     Shane McConkey

And why not? Is that not a good motto to live your life by?

Which brings us onto the almost forgotten topic of MAVERICK’s… what happened there? Did the wave happen? was it possible to hold the contest?

As it happens, very sadly the world-renowned Mavericks Surf Contest near Half Moon Bay will not happen this year, making this winter season the fourth that has been skipped since the contest’s creation a decade ago, said contest director Jeff Clark.

The window for the contest closed on Tuesday, 31st March, but Clark said he had extended the permit to use the waters that are a half-mile from Pillar Point Harbor, until 8th April in case a swell materialized.

However, the ocean storms that produce the swells needed for the contest were too weak. The contest organisers are negotiating for the contest window to open earlier next year, possibly as early as 1st November. This year’s contest window opened 1st January, but the months from November to February produce the greatest swells for ideal contest conditions,  which are waves of  roughly 40 foot.

So a quick re-hash on Maverick – the ultimate extreme big wave… what’s all the fuss about?

Jeff Clark, of Jeff Clark Surfboards and the big wave contest organiser, was brought up 100 ft from the sea and watched the wave for years before deciding to challenge it for the first time in 1975. His good friend decided that he’d rather not, but that he would watch closely and call the coast guards if Jeff needed help!

“That first day I managed to get five waves, barely surviving long enough to kick out of one. It was a great confidence boost for me to have gone where no one had gone before, and to ride waves that were more powerful than anything that I had ever imagined,” he said.

“The 1990s in general brought an amazing assault of big-wave surfing. When Mavericks hit the scene everyone questioned it, but now all of the doubts have been put to rest. Mavericks produces the most consistent big waves in the world, has provided California with a big-wave identity all its own, and has produced some of today’s best big-wave riders…

He sums up by adding, “We are now well into the new millennium and it seems that everything in the world is going in the direction of  ‘extreme’, not just in surfing but in all sports. Where it will end I don’t know, but the hunt for better performance and better equipment is really exciting to me. Still, having Mavericks as the testing ground “makes the possibilities endless.”

So, don’t give up on watching this one. It’ll knock your socks off for entertainment value next time it happens…

]]> http://tvonyourpc.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/introducing-teammate-4-jeff-clark/ Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:13:16 +0000 jessicalomelin http://tvonyourpc.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/introducing-teammate-4-jeff-clark/

Many have said that when it comes to loyalty, Celtic fans are at the top of their league. They are devoted, advocates and have begun to use the blogosphere to share their love of the team to an ever wider audience. Leading the pack is Jeff Clark, blogger and manager of the CelticsBlog, a site that is created by fans for fans and provides all news, stats, schedule and inside info into the life of the Celtics.

Jeff took some time to chat with us about his devotion of the game and how even through thick and thin, he’s remained a loyal Celtics fan to the end.

Why did you start blogging about the Celtics?

When I moved out of the Boston area, I wanted a place to talk about the Celtics with other Celtics fans. I started out on message boards and moved to blogging when blogs were first gaining popularity. Here’s an interview I did a while back that goes through some of the history.

It’s been a wild ride for the Celtics the last couple of years – going from being one of the worst teams in the league to trading for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen who successfully teamed with Paul Pierce to win another championship. Boston fans are passionate about their sports, and with that said, how did the Celtics’ return to glory affect traffic on your Blog? Are people engaging more or less than in years past?

Traffic has gone up somewhat the last couple of years, but I think that has a lot to do with the gaining popularity of blogs as much as it does with the success of the team itself. Interestingly enough, when the team was really bad 2 years ago, we still had one of the most popular NBA blogs in the world. The traffic wasn’t as big, but the debate and commentary was almost as robust as it is now. I guess you could say there was more to complain about back then, thus more conversation.

You mentioned you go to all the games with your pass, do you think people watch the Celtics online and if so do you have a sense of why and when they do?

To be clear, I have the NBA League Pass (TV) so I can watch all the games from home in Virginia. I do have a press pass I can use anytime I’m in Boston, but that’s not often. I’m sure that a lot of people watch the games online for a number of reasons. For example, sometimes my wife is using the only TV that has the League Pass activated so I watch the games on my computer (through the League Pass online account). It is a great setup and it works very well. Some folks outside the U.S. watch the games online because thats the only place they can see the games. I’ve heard about people on business trips logging in and watching the games online. In some cases, people might want to watch the game on the computer and chat with their friends on CelticsBlog on the same screen! I know some fans even edit their own highlight packages, break down game film, and produce video-mix tapes. The more video content the better.

This is part of a letter from Jeff Clark, an author and economic advisor. I thought it most befitting. Enjoy.

“The CEOs of our nation’s largest banks were ‘invited’ to impersonate a bunch of piñatas before Congress yesterday and testify about how they’ve been spending the government’s money. Unlike the auto company CEOs, who must have a combined IQ of something like 12, the bank executives had the good sense to fly commercial. … But none of them had the guts – or any other body part – to call out the condescending hypocrites on Capitol Hill.

‘How do you justify,’ asked one of our esteemed elected officials, ‘taking a million-dollar salary when your company is operating at a loss?’

The ideal response would have been, ‘Because I spent that much on booze after you passed a law forcing my company to give home loans to people who couldn’t pay me back.’

But the CEO’s were silent… And they were silent when Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, complained the banks were too slow in renegotiating the terms of the loans her constituents had agreed to and were now unable to fulfill. They were silent when they were asked if they had increased credit-card interest rates on cardholders who were delinquent in paying their debts.

Here’s what I would have said if I had been in their shoes…

My dear partners in crime, our generation-long scam is coming to an end. Yes it has been a good run. As bank executives, we’ve been able to line our pockets with generous stock options and golden parachutes that ensure we’ll live like kings from now until eternity. And as elected officials, you’ve been able to cater to the lowest instinct of your constituents, ensure your reelection, and fill your bank accounts with an eternal stream of campaign contributions. Bravo to all of us.

Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme is nothing more than a zit on the big old butt we’ve put together here. By working together, we’ve fleeced the American taxpayer for trillions of dollars. Bank executives have lived high off the hog for years. We have mansions in the Hamptons, 60-foot yachts, private jets, and personal chefs.

As elected officials, you have all of those benefits, plus the ability to vote yourselves a pay raise, increase your petty cash expense fund by $93,000 – as you did so recently – and grandstand in front of the television cameras even though you’re guilty of the same abhorrent behavior you accuse us of.

With any luck, we’ll have a few more years to suck off the teat of the American taxpayer. But beware. If we go down, then you’ll go down, too.“

Soooo… after I realized that there is one dude, Jeff Clark, who is responsible for designing the covers to many books I thought had real pretty designs (Graham Foust, Lisa Jarnot, Aaron McCollough, Elizabeth Willis, Karla Kelsey), I spent some time stalking him via the internetz, and found that Jeff Clark “did” this DJ Krush movie. The reason why I used “” around “did” is because I don’t really know what he did–whether he designed the movie packaging (below, and probably) or helped produce it, or something else that I’m unaware of. It was kind of a strange find as I was listening to DJ Krush’s Jaku when I stumbled over it. Anyway, I can’t embed the minimovie, but click here to view it. 

Yahoo’s ‘Start Wearing Purple’ campaign is all about living life on your own terms. phearcreative was hired to create six short docs on people who do just that. Watch these here, or catch them on yahoo.com, in your local elevator, or while catching a yellow cab downtown…

Jeff Clark

Larry Jackson

Josh Spear

Jessica Flannery

Simone Lengo

Nic Harcourt

As of late Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008, GDX hit its 2005 breakout level of $28. That support line should hold, making GDX very low risk.

Jeff Clark

Ondas Gigantes e seus heróis, Riding Giants é um documentário completo, com entrevistas com os principais pioneiros e heróis do Surf, George Downing, Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, Laird Hamilton, sem contar outros grandes surfistas. O cenário de ondas gigantes, sempre foi um foco dos grandes surfistas, no filme é mostrado os maiores picos, Makaha, Waimea Bay, Banzai Pipeline, Mavericks, Pehai(Jaws) e Teahupoo.

Greg Noll conta de suas ondas históricas,  o maior swell registrado na história, ele foi e dropou o paredão de água, sem fotos ou filmes registrados dessa onda, a única lembrança é a da memória de Noll e de uns dez surfistas que estavam do lado de fora assistindo.

O mistério que rondava Waimea Bay, com mortes e lendas de que era assombrado, com medo ninguém entrava lá, depois de anos, um grupo de surfistas desbravados decidiu enfrentar o grande ”monstro” e acabaram com anos de lendas.

Jeff Clark e seus quinze anos surfando sozinho em Mavericks, sua grande descoberta, na qual ninguém botou fé e anos depois virou um grande centro das gigantescas paredes de água.

A descoberta de Pehai, conhecida por Jaws, por Laird Hamilton, que nas ondas gigantes da região, descobriu um novo jeito de pegá-las, já que na remada ficava difícil entrar, ele tentou e conseguiu, puxado primeiramente por um bote, pegava ondas inimagináveis de jeitos antes jamais vistos, foi ai que o Tow-in surgiu.

Além de tudo isso, o filme mostra o estilo de vida dos primeiros surfistas, que viviam para e do Surf, um grupo com uns doze surfistas viviam atrás das maiores ondas e sobreviviam do que a natureza tinha de melhor, frutas e ondas. Sem trabalho, sem dinheiro, a vida era sempre uma festa, sempre se divertindo.

” Séculos atrás, um jovem havaiano se levantou sobre sua prancha e deslizou suavemente sobre uma onda. A mesma onda rolou através do tempo e atravessou oceanos levando gigantes do surf desde o Rei Kamehameha a Duke Kahanamoku, de George Downing a Greg Noll, de Jeff Clark a Laird Hamilton, levando todos eles rumo ao prazer supremo conduzidos tão rápido e suavemente pelo mar ”

Peace

White Tower (by Jeff Clark, from his book Music and Suicide)

We can burn it
It’s infected
fields, records, our fruit
water, mosques, it casts inordinate shadow
I have a lighter, you have fuel
Hatefully designed, well-defended, it kills, sells
We won’t try to climb, we douse
the perimeter, flood the subfloors with fuel
We drench the lobby
White tower that sodomizes the horizons