Jeg leser Klassekampen, og i bokmagasinet har Tom Egil Hverven anmeldt Aftenposten-journalist Kjetil S. Østlis bok “Politi og røver”. Han får god kritikk. Hverven ble nok positivt overrasket, for han tålte egentlig ikke trynet på Østli. Han skriver:

I utgangspunktet er jeg ingen nesegrus beundrer av journalisten Østli i Aftenpostens A-magasin. Han fremstår av og til, også på bilder – en ikke uvesentlig del av en dokumentarisk selvfremstilling – som en litt puslete og mindre selvironisk utgave av Thomas Giertsen, en slags ung gutt med skjegg. Giertsenaktige guttestreker bidrar mer til latter enn selvrefleksjon. Og det er vel omtrent ved fliret Giertsens ambisjoner stopper.

Dette er nok den gjennomtenkte omformuleringen av reaksjonen Hverven ofte får når han ser bylinebildet til Østli i A-magasinet. Da bokanmelderen skrev dette var han smart nok til å argumenterer for at det er relevant hvordan Østli ser ut på bilde, slik at ingen kan ta ham for det.  Stilig. Jeg har mye å lære. Jeg trodde utseendekommentarer var faux pas i akademia, men slik kan det altså gjøres.

For øvrig er det bare i Klassekampen anmelderen finner ut at to av høstens sentrale bøker handler om innføringen av NPM. New Public Management er ifølge Hverven tema både i Geir Gulliksens roman “Tjuendedagen” og i Østlis Bragevinnende sakprosa. Jeg tror dette må være første gang Klassekampen skriver om NPM uten å ha med den faste faktaboksen sin som forklarer hva NPM går ut på.  Det er da også overflødig nå som det viser seg at det er mulig å putte hva som helst inn i begrepet.

Dette blir ekstra morsomt fordi DNs Kjetil Alstadheim denne uka skrev om begrepet i sin kommentar om Fagforbundets landsmøte i Folkets hus. Leder Jan Davidsen sa i talen sin “new public management” 12 ganger (endelig bærer fagforeningsbossenes engelskkurs frukter). Alstadheim skrev:

Ikke alle vet hva “new public management” er for noe. Men ganske mange av dem som gjør det, abonnerer på Klassekampen. De siste tre årene er begrepet bare omtalt 388 ganger i norske medier. 182 av gangene var i Klassekampen.

Nuveen has been the largest player in single-state municipal bond closed-end and open-end bond funds for years and years.  If you look in Barron’s each week under closed-end mutual funds data to find premium/discount data or yield data on closed-end funds, you will see scores and scores of Nuveen single-state municipal bond funds in there.  But today came the announcement that four of these funds that are tied to the state of Florida have completed their mergers into national bond funds.  While this has been a developing situation in recent weeks, this could have implications for other such single-state municipal bond funds which investors seek for tax-free income.

The Nuveen Insured Florida Premium Income Municipal Fund (former ticker-NFL) was merged into the Nuveen Insured Municipal Opportunity Fund, Inc. (NYSE: NIO).

The Nuveen Florida Investment Quality Municipal Fund (former ticker-NQF) and the Nuveen Florida Quality Income Municipal Fund (former ticker-NUF) was merged into Nuveen Premium Income Municipal Fund 2, Inc. (NYSE: NPM).

The Nuveen Insured Florida Tax-Free Advantage Municipal Fund (former ticker-NWF) was merged into Nuveen Insured Tax-Free Advantage Municipal Fund (NYSE: NEA).

Where this gets interesting is that Florida has the same issue as many other states.  A depressed property market, which has led to a decrease in collected tax revenues, which has led to lower revenues for municipal tax districts.  Single state taxation on income derived from municipal bonds, which are tax-free at the federal level, also differ from state to state.  In states where no state income tax exists, investors can generally purchase any municipal bond (i.e. closed-end fund) and not pay federal income tax on the coupon income.  But many states in the U.S. that do have state income taxes only treat the income from municipal bonds issued within the same state as being eligible for a tax-free status at the state income tax level.

Some single-state investors would have to pay interest on the income from closed end muni-bond funds if they were rolled into national municipal bond funds.  That still leaves the exemption from Federal income tax, but might not shield the owner from income at the state or local level where income tax is levied.  Every state is different on this and it may not have an impact if this were to occur in all of the states, but Nuveen has many more single-state closed-end municipal bond funds.

Again, this has been an ongoing process that has just now formally closed.  But income investors who own other single-state municipal bond funds seeking tax-free income will want to watch to see if this develops further.

JON C. OGG
OCTOBER 19, 2009

Flere medier skriver i dag om at Kunnskapsdepartementet har skrevet til landets universiteter og høyskoler og bedt dem om å innføre systemer for timeregistering av det vitenskapelige personalets arbeid (1, 2, 3). Forskerne og deres organisasjoner er i harnisk, ja selv institusjonenes ellers så måleglade administrative ledelse er skjønt enige om at dette er en dårlig idé. Men hva er egentlig problemet?

Før jeg svarer på det, må jeg gjøre det klart at jeg i denne saken har opptil flere hatter: Jeg er tillitsvalgt i SV, jeg er selv forsker og tillitsvalgt i NTL, som organiserer forskere. I denne saken må jeg nok innrømme at jeg først og fremst kommer til å mene som forsker og NTL-tillitsvalgt. Så bærer forhåpentligvis partifellene mine over med meg når jeg mener de tar feil.

Tilbake til saken: Som skoselger på sportsbutikk forholdt jeg meg en gang i tida til et stemplingsur. Det var forsåvidt en grei disiplineringsmekanisme. Jeg var ganske flink til å komme på jobb i tide og ikke bruke for lang tid på lunsj. Jeg må likevel innrømme at jeg en gang eller to fikk noen andre til å stemple inn for meg, og at det hendte at jeg “glemte” å stemple ut for spisepausen, så det var ikke så vanskelig å omgå. I blant, når jeg ikke hadde noe annet som ventet etter jobben hendte det nok også at jeg ble noen minutter ekstra selv om det ikke var noe å gjøre – for å få klokket inn et ekstra kvarter på lønningsseddelen. Det er mange som forholder seg til stemplingsur på jobben hver dag, og enda vanligere er det å skrive timelister. Man kunne kanskje tenke at det slett ikke var et urimelig krav å forholde seg til, ja til og med spørre seg hva er det nå disse forskerne sutrer for, det er jaggu på tide de lærer seg å jobbe som vanlige folk, de også.

Men hva er det egentlig saken handler om? I nyhetssakene kommer det fram at Riksrevisjonen ikke mener at det foreligger tilstrekkelig dokumentasjon for utbetaling av overtidstimer i UH-sektoren. Men er det egentlig snakk om overtid? For en liten stund siden skrev jeg en sak til medlemsbladet til den lokale NTL-foreninga om denne problematikken (4). Saken gir et bedre bilde av hva som er Kunnskapsdepartementets og Riksrevisjonens ankepunkt. Så vidt jeg kan forstå skriver uenigheten seg tilbake til Arbeidsmiljølovens §10-7 (5), der det heter at

Det skal foreligge en oversikt som viser hvor mye den enkelte arbeidstaker har arbeidet. Oversikten skal være tilgjengelig for Arbeidstilsynet og arbeidstakernes tillitsvalgte.

Dette kan også høres greit og i mange tilfeller også virkelig bra ut. Imidlertid fungerer dette ikke for forskere, en ordning med timeregistrering vil både være en ulogisk og kontraproduktiv videreutvikling av dagens system. Det er flere grunner til det:

1. Det finnes allerede omfattende krav til dokumentasjon av vitenskapelige tilsattes arbeidsmengde. Undervisningsregnskapene gjør det klart hvor mye hver enkelt tilsatt arbeider, og gir langt på vei en mer detaljert dokumentasjon av arbeidsmengden enn det en timeliste vil gjøre. Sammen med normen om at det skal være en 50-50 deling mellom undervisnings- og forskningsoppgaver for tilsatte i faste stillinger, utgjør dette en god dokumentasjon av hva som er ordinært arbeid. Normtallene i undervisningsregnskapet er av samme type som dem som brukes i videregående skole for å vurdere hvor mange fag/kurs som skal inngå i et lærerårsverk. Prinsipielt er det ingen forskjell på denne typen arbeidsorganisering og akkordlønn.
2. Det finnes allerede omfattende måle- og disiplineringsmekanismer for forskere. Særlig publiseringsregnskapet, som viser hvor mye hver enkelt forsker har fått utgitt av sin forskning er et sterkt virkemiddel. Kunnskapsdepartementet bruker det samme regnskapet til å argumentere for at arbeidsintensiteten i UH-sektoren har gått opp og at kvaliteten er økt. Her kan jeg tilføye at jeg er uenig i denne vurderingen, og det har en viss sammenheng med neste punkt.
3. Måling av arbeidstiden er en temmelig lemfeldig måte å dokumentere arbeidsinnsats på. I mange andre offentlige institusjoner opererer man med normalarbeidstid. Det er heller slett ikke uhørt at det utføres arbeid ut over normalarbeidstid uten at dette kompenseres, enten fordi man ikke har råd, eller fordi de tilsatte er opptatte av å gjøre en god jobb.
4. Forskning er en form for arbeid som egner seg dårlig til kvantifisering i arbeidstid. Svært mange, kanskje de fleste forskere jobber uansett langt ut over normalarbeidstiden fordi de har en sterk interesse i faget sitt. De er også som regel mer opptatte av at oppgaver blir utført enn av hvor lang tid det tar. De viktigste forskningsresultatene trenger slett ikke å komme i arbeidstiden – ideene som gjør at man får en sammenheng i data kan like gjerne komme når man går søndagstur. Skal man da føre timer for det? Skal man føre timer for å oppdatere seg på relevant faglitteratur i fritida eller for overnattinger i forbindelse med konferanser i utlandet? Jeg kjenner ingen som ville synes det var rimelig.
5. Tiltaket er uproporsjonalt. Omfanget av eventuell urettmessig overtid er så lite at det virker lite logisk å kreve at alle arbeidstakere i sektoren skal registrere arbeidstida si.
6. Det at så mange tilsatte i dag arbeider langt ut over normalarbeidstida vil kunne føre til ganske voldsomme endringer i måten arbeidet vil bli utført på dersom man innfører arbeidstidsregistrering. Blant stipendiater er det en kjent sak at man ikke kan regne med å få gjort nok dersom man holder seg slavisk til normalarbeidstid. Sist på mandag hadde jeg selv en 13 timers arbeidsdag uten at det kunne falle meg inn å skrive overtid eller avspasere fordi utstyret jeg jobber med var vanskelig å ha med å gjøre. Dersom sektoren som helhet skulle følge normalarbeidstid ville man enten få et overtidssjokk eller betydelige reduksjoner i mengden arbeid som blir utført.
7. Det ligger mellom linjene i argumentene over, og er gjort tydelig i artikkelen jeg har skrevet, men et siste poeng er at det det er snakk om ikke egentlig er det som normalt forstås med overtid. Den nye arbeidsmiljøloven har ingen åpning for arbeid ut over ordinær arbeidstid som ikke er overtid, men når noen tar på seg en ekstra undervisningsoppgave i form av f.eks. forelesninger på et nytt kurs er det i realiteten snakk om planlagt merarbeid. Det er ikke tillatt i henhold til Arbeidsmiljølovens bestemmelser. Omfanget av slikt arbeid er så stort at dersom det opphørte over natta ville resultatet være økonomisk ruin for de fleste norske universiteter, ettersom stykkprisfinansieringen av studiepoengene som avlegges på disse kursene utgjør store og viktige inntekter.

Har egentlig Riksrevisjonen gått inn i materien når det gjelder punkt 1 og 2? Har Kunnskapsdepartmentet vurdert de potensielle konsekvensene i punkt 6 og 7? Når det gjelder punkt 3, 4 og 5 så er det allerede tatt et ideologisk veivalg. Der er det først og fremst Arbeiderpartiet som har skylda, for de nekter å rokke ved mål- og resultatstyringsideologien New Public Management, som Stoltenberg I-regjeringas politikk var et skoleeksempel på. Enda det finnes et utmerket godt alternativ til arbeidstidsregistrering i undervisningsregnskapet, og enda den gamle Særavtalen var et velfungerende redskap velger man å satse på et måleinstrument med mange og velkjente prinsipielle svakheter. Måleinstrumentet fratar arbeidstakerne frihet, og er et tydelig uttrykk for en ovenfra-og-ned-holdning der man ikke stoler på at de tilsatte utfører arbeidet i henhold til oppsatt plan. Det er ingen som tvinger Riksrevisjonen til å tolke Arbeidsmiljølovens §10-7 så snevert som de gjør, og Kunnskapsdepartementet bør stå fritt til å gjøre en vurdering av hvilke ordninger som er mest effektive. For det finnes en rekke unntak fra arbeidstidsbestemmelsene for andre yrkesgrupper: Skiftarbeid, noen former for transportarbeid og polititjenestefolk har alle omfattende unntak fra arbeidstidsbestemmelsene. Årsaken er ganske enkelt at det er fornuftig, eller at man er nødt.

Den manglende viljen til å gjøre noe med dette forholdet er et uttrykk for målstyringstenkningas største svakhet: Det er ikke på noe plan rom for tillit mellom styre og organisasjon. Ved at styret jobber mot mål, og måler måloppnåelsene ved hjelp av mer eller mindre tilfeldige resultatmålestokker står hovedfokus på de kvantitative dataene. Det er langt på vei administrasjonens og den daglige ledelsens tolkning av disse som har hovedfokus, og ikke det kvalitative aspektet, forståelsen av organisasjonens drift. Dermed får også forskernes innspill om at hovedproblemet er at de ikke har nok tid til det arbeidet de skal gjøre liten oppmerksomhet, mens det mest blir interessante å få brakt på det rene at de faktisk gjør det de skal. Denne tillitskrisen, der det legges til grunn at folk er udugelige inntil det motsatte er bevist, brer om seg i akademia, og utgjør basis for en rekke av de viktigste styringsinstrumentene, slik som de fagdimensjoneringsprosessen ved UiO. Premisset der var at det bare er noen som er så gode at de fortjener full oppmerksomhet. Premisset i arbeidstidsregistreringssaken er, jevnfør punkt 5, at de tilsatte ved universiteter og høyskoler har kollektivt ansvar for et presumptivt overforbruk når det gjelder overtid.

For å dra inn noen sosiologiske klisjeer på slutten: Jeg tror akademia fungerer bedre som Gemeinschaft enn Gesellschaft. Det er forskjell på å sette pris på og å prisfastsette. Forskjellen handler om tillit og den er helt avgjørende for hva som er aktørenes motivasjon. Jeg tror folk trenger å bli satt pris på, ikke å få vite sin pris.

www.ready.gov

On this anniversary, we are focused on the threat from hurricanes. But we must also be prepared for a broad range of dangers – from wildfires and earthquakes, to terrorist attacks and pandemic disease. In particular, my Administration is working aggressively with state and local governments – and with partners around the world – to prepare for the risk posed by the H1N1 virus. To learn more about the simple steps that you can take to keep you and your family safe from all of these dangers, please visit www.ready.gov.

So on this day, we commemorate a tragedy that befell our people. But we also remember that with every tragedy comes the chance of renewal. It is a quintessentially American notion – that adversity can give birth to hope, and that the lessons of the past hold the key to a better future. From the streets of New Orleans to the Mississippi Coast, folks are beginning the next chapter in their American stories. And together, we can ensure that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come.–President Barack Obama

National Preparedness Month (NPM), is a nationwide effort held each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.

Please take a moment and visit the site. It has a wealth of information that will help your family. I really enjoyed watching the PSA’s on the site. They interviewed different families and asked them separately about their own ‘emergency plans’. Each family member had a different idea of where they are to meet, and none of them had any emergency supplies like water, non-perishable food, etc. to last them more than two weeks. My family is like the one who only had crackers and tomato paste.

So this is an eye opener for me, and our pantry will definitely be stocked in the future.

Nuestros amigos de NPM nos han dejado estos vídeos. Seguramente más de uno los habrá visto, porque el primero tiene casi 40.000 reproducciones. Yo no y me he quedado de lo más asombrado. ¿Cómo te enfrentas a un set de escaleras de trece plano trece con el suelo mojado? Matt Shlager se ajusta la bandana, quita una pequeña china que le podría molestar y le da candela. Cada uno tendrá su opinión, y los 1854 comentarios en el youtube dan fe de ello. Deja el tuyo en nuestro blog y así tendremos algo de lo que hablar este fin de semana lluvioso…

Lo mejor de todo es que el chico patina, y no lo hace mal, la verdad…

The following Catholic organizations will be hosting a conference in July or August 2009:

7/1/2009  – 7/5/2009 
Tekakwitha Conference
2009 Tekakwitha Annual Conference
Raleigh, NC
A membership organization open to all clergy, religious, all Native People, and all women and men ministering with Native Americans. The mission of the Tekakwitha Conference is to unify the Native Catholic voice, presence and identity while respective the diversity, to empower Native Catholics as Church, and to deepen and affirm Native Catholic identity and pride in their culture and spiritual traditions.
 
7/6/2009  – 7/10/2009 
NPM – National Association of Pastoral Musicians
2009 NPM National Convention – “Sing to the Lord!”
Chicago, IL
The membership organization for anyone who recognizes and supports the value of musical liturgy. This includes choir directors, organists, guitarists, pianists, instrumentalists, presiders, cantors, and choral groups. NPM’s mission is to foster the art of musical liturgy.
 
7/27/2009  – 7/29/2009 
CSWNA – Catholic Social Workers National Association
2009 CSWNA Conference 
Louisville, KY
A national professional association of Catholic social workers. CSWNA’s mission is to promote the implementation of Catholic social teachings in social work practice while supporting competent professional social workers living out their baptismal call by being the hands and feet of Christ.
 
8/1/2009  – 8/1/2009 
NAfIM – National Apostolage for Inclusion Ministry
NAfIM Annual Membership Meeting
Cleveland , OH
A membership organization of parish ministers, diocesan leaders, university professionals, parents, and persons with mental retardation, intellectual disability and other developmental differences. NAfIM’s mission is to lead the Catholic community to the full inclusion of persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD).
 
8/1/2009  – 8/4/2009 
NCADDHM – National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry
NCADDHM 2009 National Conference
Notre Dame, IN
The professional association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry. The mission of NCADDHM is to promote the full participation of Hispanics in the Church and society.
 
8/11/2009  – 8/15/2009 
LCWR – Leadership Conference for Women Religious
2009 LCWR Assembly
New Orleans, LA
The association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the US.

Visit the ActiveParishioner.com Calendar for more details and future events.

The following Catholic organizations will be hosting a conference in June or July 2009:

5/31/2009 – 6/3/2009
ACHTUS – Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the US
ACHTUS 2009 Colloquium
Chicago, IL
A membership association of Roman Catholic Hispanics who possess a doctoral degree in theology, Scripture, ministry or general religious studies and are actively engaged in the North American Hispanic religious experience. The mission of ACHTUS is to promote research and critical theological reflection with the context of the US Hispanic experience.

6/3/2009 – 6/5/2009
DISC – Diocesan Information Systems Conference
2009 DISC Conference
New Orleans, LA
An organization of diocesan information systems managers, as well as others involved in the use of electronic technology for the work of the Catholic Church. DISC’s mission is to provide data processing expertise and professional service to the local and national church as well as to encourage networking of information and ideas among its members.

6/4/2009 – 6/7/2009
CTSA – Catholic Theological Society of America
2009 CTSA Annual Convention -
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The official membership organization of Catholic theologians (professionals with a degree in theological or related studies and who are or have been actively engaged in teaching and research.) CTSA’s mission is to promote studies and research in theology, to relate theological science to current problems, and to foster a more effective theological education.

6/7/2009 – 6/9/2009
CHA – Catholic Health Association
2009 CHA Assembly
New Orleans, LA
The official membership organization of Catholic health care sponsors, systems and facilities. The mission of CHA is to support the Catholic health ministry’s pursuit of the strategic directions of mission, ethics, and advocacy.

6/25/2009 – 6/28/2009
NACFLM – National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers
NACFLM Conference 2009
St. Paul, MN
The membership association for family life ministers. This includes a variety of ministry areas including singles, marriage prep, respect life, interchurch/ecumenical marriage, families in crisis, separated/divorced, widowed/bereaved, older adults, and special needs families. NACFLM’s mission is to offer support and professional enrichment for those who minister to and with families, to be a voice and advocate for families, to promote the development of family life ministry and to foster a family perspective in Church and Society.

7/1/2009  – 7/5/2009 
Tekakwitha Conference
2009 Tekakwitha Annual Conference
Raleigh, NC
A membership organization open to all clergy, religious, all Native People, and all women and men ministering with Native Americans. The mission of the Tekakwitha Conference is to unify the Native Catholic voice, presence and identity while respective the diversity, to empower Native Catholics as Church, and to deepen and affirm Native Catholic identity and pride in their culture and spiritual traditions.
 
7/6/2009  – 7/10/2009 
NPM – National Association of Pastoral Musicians
2009 NPM National Convention – “Sing to the Lord!”
Chicago, IL
The membership organization for anyone who recognizes and supports the value of musical liturgy. This includes choir directors, organists, guitarists, pianists, instrumentalists, presiders, cantors, and choral groups. NPM’s mission is to foster the art of musical liturgy.
 
7/27/2009  – 7/29/2009 
CSWNA – Catholic Social Workers National Association
2009 CSWNA Conference 
Louisville, KY
A national professional association of Catholic social workers. CSWNA’s mission is to promote the implementation of Catholic social teachings in social work practice while supporting competent professional social workers living out their baptismal call by being the hands and feet of Christ.

Visit the ActiveParishioner.com Calendar for more details and future events.

The verb “to modernize” is very ambiguous. Sometimes it means “to do things better”, other times it means “to remove those things and get rid of them altogether”, other times it just means “to make those things sellable and see if you can get some money out of them”. In this last case, “to modernize” often equates “to valuate”.

French public administrations are partaking, in a quite imaginative way, of the modernizing impetus that characterizes contemporary advanced liberal democracies. Here is an outstanding example:

“Just as any other economic actor, the state possesses immaterial assets: licenses, patents, electromagnetic frequencies, databases and know-how. With a state agency for immaterial heritage, the state can valuate such assets.” (from “Le patrimoine immatériel de l’Etat, des richesses méconnues à valoriser”, Portail de la modernisation de l’Etat, April 16 2009)

The initiative includes, for instance, the implementation of fees to shoot movies in monuments, castles and other state-owned premises (between 3000 and 6000 euros a day for shooting in military terrains).

But, since the notion of “immaterial asset” is fortunately very large, this initiative should remain open to further suggestions such as, for instance, a fee for posing next to the head of the state.

Ahora que las adaptaciones al cine de libros, comics, obras teatrales y nuevas versiones de películas clásicas son lo que mantiene viva a la industria más famosa de California, y cuando parece buen momento para haber creado algo, lo que sea, que haya llamado la atención de críticos y fans, es cuando me arrepiento de no haberme hecho amigo virtual de todos los productores, agentes y críticos hollywoodenses que pudiera hallar en línea, allá en 1998, cuando no todo el maldito planeta estaba en línea. Para este momento los tendría mandándome entradas a cada estreno cinematográfico que se me antojara, tendría un cuarto entero lleno de memorabilia y parafernalia, desde Armagedón hasta Watchmen, y eventualmente tendría a Kaley Couco en mi lista de Messenger. Me envidiarían en todo el orbe.

(En lugar de buscar ese lugar celestial en el aprecio de los que deciden el curso del cine gringo (ya que lo que quería era dominar las expresiones del inglés común y corriente a través de foros de discusión), me gané  mi círculo en el infierno en el desprecio de los filósofos / políticos / teólogos caseros que abundaban en donde el respeto por la opinión de quien sea se perdía o ganaba en discusiones despiadadas que duraban semanas o más. Y no me gané nada – quizás solamente el haber transformado ese desprecio en reputación.  Así que, como siempre, era escribir por el placer de hacerlo y ya.)

Pero lo importante no hubiera sido tomarme fotos con Tarantino y haber consolado a Winona cuando la cacharon robando tiendas. No, lo realmente trascendental hubiera sido que quizás tras 75,000 comments en innumerables sitios y foros privados, alguien (de los que me tendrían considerado como un parámetro del cinéfilo muy ordinario pero analítico, con el dedo justo en el pulso del fan promedio) hubiera pensado dos veces antes de aprobar la filmación de Catwoman. O de Superman Returns. Incluso de Alexander. Me conformaría con que hubieran escrito mejor el guión de Wanted.

¿A qué viene todo esto? Esta semana me puse a ver seguidas dos películas, una después de la otra. Las dos tienen como objetivo gustarle a aproximadamente el mismo tipo de espectador, tienen el factor geek por el que apostaron una cantidad de dinero considerable, apelan a la nostalgia de la muy amplia base de fans que está comprobado que tienen, y ambas fallaron en hallar el punto medio donde hubieran sido un éxito y alcanzado el status de culto. Y pensé que eran buenas ideas la primera vez que supe que las querían filmar, si las manejaban correctamente.

Después de verlas es cuando concluí que como no venden viajes en el tiempo en la central camionera, la manera de que hubiera podido hacer algo por corregir el universo yo solito es si tuviera más de 10 años de estar dando lata en los foros correctos, nutriendo a los ojos correctos de líneas de texto con los argumentos correctos en el lenguaje preciso y con  la carnada adecuada para que, de 100 películas hechas ésta década, máximo en tres escenas de una sola de ellas la idea no hubiera apestado tan mal. O que de plano no hubiéramos tenido que vivir en un mundo con una tan decepcionante Spider-Man 3.

Y las dos películas de las que estoy hablando son:

Dragon Ball Evolution

Fanboys

Ninguna de las dos me hizo querer ir al cine, así que las bajé más por orgullo de friki-otaku que por mi buen juicio.

A grandes rasgos, DBE toma varios de los puntos más generales y estrictamente ineludibles que tiene el manga original, los pone en una lista y busca la manera más inadecuada de tocarlos tangencialmente estilo teen drama con artes marciales y superpoderes, es casi como Smallville. Gokú es un estudiante estilo Gohan, Bulma es básicamente Lara Croft, Chichi tiene una personalidad bidimensional, para el Maestro Roshi metieron a un Chow Yun Fat que aparte de la camisa hawaiana no se parece al entrañable viejito pervertido que entrenó a toda una generación de defensores del planeta. Y Piccolo es más genérico y sin originalidad que un villano de los Power Rangers. Se ve que a Toriyama-san le hacían demasiada falta unos dólares y la manera fácil de tenerlos era dejar que sodomizaran su obra. Pero, y esto es importante, si en realidad no te acuerdas o no viste o no te importó nunca Dragon Ball, puedes perfectamente sentarte a ver un churro palomero sin más complicaciones ni expectativas. Así, sin broncas, puedes no sufrir la película ni salir mentando madres y exigiendo que te devuelvan tu dinero, tiempo e infancia. Si ven esto, ya vieron todo:

Del otro lado, está Fanboys. Después de muchas fechas de estreno pospuestas, lo que salió no es en realidad tan bueno como uno esperaría. Se trata de unos fans de Star Wars que, en 1998, deciden colarse al Skywalker Ranch para ver el Episodio I antes que nadie, y en especial, antes de que uno de ellos muera de cáncer. A favor: tiene un sabor similar a una película de Kevin Smith (un grupo de cuates, la chica que quiere con el inadaptado, referencias pop a granel, drogas, un dibujante de comics y una tienda, celebridades invitadas, etc.), sale Kristen Bell en el traje de esclava de la princesa Leia, las ofensas y burlas a costillas de los Trekkies son toda una subtrama, y le rinde culto estrictamente a la trilogía original. En contra: muchas de las referencias son demasiado oscuras para ser captadas por el espectador promedio, algunos de los estereotipos están de más, los artistas invitados no tienen mayor trascendencia y son meramente circunstanciales. Pero su mayor punto débil es precisamente tanto fan service: está pensada para el geek hardcore que vive y muere por La Fuerza, casi como una religión alternativa. El trailer hace mejor el trabajo de tener que explicar la broma de quién es  quién.

Entonces, Dragon Ball Evolution peca de irrespetuosa para la audiencia. Subestima la devoción y apego que se le tiene a una de las historias más ampliamente difundidas del manga y anime mundialmente, deja de lado la esencia de la Leyenda del Rey Mono, y trata de agradarle a un público indefinido, lo bastante distanciado del otaku como para que no le importe qué hagan con el material original, pero lo bastante ordinario como para haber oído de Dragon Ball y tomarlo como excusa para gastar en verla. Y Fanboys, bueno, se va al otro extremo. Está enfocada en agradar al Warsie, humillar al Trekkie, bombardear de datos y guiños al espectador sin importar para qué y sin importar si los entenderá o no. De fans para fans, a un nivel muy marcado.

Representan el dilema de ser muy fiel y dedicado al material original, agradando a los fans pero perdiendo al cinéfilo común, o mejor tratar de llegar a una base demográfica más amplia y pasarse al fan básico entre las patas. Pocas películas logran un equilibrio decente, o para el caso, pocas adaptaciones de un medio a otro, sea comic a TV, novela a radionovela, teatro a película, videojuego a musical o lo que sea. Ahora, no estoy diciendo que no las vean o no las bajen, pero estén preparados para no esperar algo que no van a ver. Y no traten de saber si el Ki es mejor que la Fuerza, es una discusión interminable.

De seguro ya saben de dónde bajarlas, si de todos modos quieren verlas.

Młode wilki nie mają pieniędzy – Artur Hajzer i Robert Szymczak w minionym sezonie podjęli próbę zimowego wejścia na Broad Peak, ośmiotysięczny szczyt, na którym do tej pory stanęło niespełna 300 osób. Niestety, trzy miesiące walki pod szczytem nie przyniosły sukcesu.
Najsmutniejszy wniosek nie jest taki, że Polacy nie stanęli na szczycie, tylko fakt, że coraz mniej naszych rodaków interesuje się prawdziwym wspinaniem. Dlaczego tak się dzieje? Kryzys w polskiej wspinaczce to zjawisko bardziej poważne niż się na pozór wydaje.

Wszystko przeciw Elbrusowi – Elbrus – śnieżny wierzchołek w sercu Kaukazu, który przyciąga turystów z całej Europy. A zatem i nas, Polaków. Nie straszne nam łapówki dla rosyjskiej milicji, nieprzyjazny klimat, noclegi w trudnych warunkach. Sezon wspinaczkowy zbliża się wielkimi krokami, a że statystyki nie kłamią i Elbrus zaraz po Mont Blanc bije rekordy frekwencji, w majowym „n.p.m.” doradzimy, jak przygotować się do zdobycia najwyższego szczytu Kaukazu.

Kultowa chatka do kasacji – Architektoniczne eksperymenty w polskich górach nigdy nie miały łatwego życia. Ich wartość doceniana jest dopiero po latach. Tak było na przykład z obserwatorium na Śnieżce. Czy podobnie stanie się z projektem nowoczesnego schroniska pod Rysami? Czy kultowa chatka przejdzie do historii?

Majówka samotnika – Ekipa się rozsypała? Przepustka tylko na trzy dni? Nie ma się czym przejmować. W majowym numerze „n.p.m.” zapraszamy w Niżne Tatry. Kilkadziesiąt kilometrów marszu w oślepiającym słońcu z widokiem na ośnieżone Tatry, przedzieranie się przez wiatrołomy, bliskie spotkania z kozicami – taka przygoda w długi majowy weekend może stać się udziałem każdego upartego samotnika.

A ponadto:

Pod czujnym okiem Mao Zedonga – Wyprawa w Himalaje: wspinaczka stromą granią, wokół szczyty, lodowce i śniegi – tak to sobie wyobrażasz? A gdyby tym razem wejść w te góry przez boczną furtkę? Zapraszamy na wędrówkę brzegiem Mekongu, herbatę z mlekiem jaka i podglądanie lawin z bezpiecznej odległości. A po drodze zajrzymy jeszcze do legendarnego Shangri-La.

Bez BenGlejtu nie da rady – Tyle pisze się i deliberuje o sposobach wyrwania się z okowów szlaków turystycznych w Tatrach. A przecież istnieją jeszcze małe, niedoceniane przez ludzi góry, gdzie nie trzeba walczyć z instytucjami, ograniczeniami i konwenansami. Wystarczy tylko chłonąć naturę . W maju zapraszamy Was na wędrówkę w Gorce.

Tutaj mógł lądować anioł Giordano – podkrakowskie dolinki: Żarska, Racławki czy Szklarki to idealna propozycja na wiosenne rozruszanie kości

Koniec rury i brezentu – Po długim i wyczerpującym trekkingu każdy z nas marzy o suchym, chroniącym od wiatru i wilgoci schronieniu. Do tego niech się jeszcze szybko rozkłada, niech będzie lekki, przestronny, z miejscem na bagaż i dobrym systemem wewnętrznej wentylacji. W najnowszym numerze „n.p.m.” podpowiadamy, na co zwrócić uwagę, wybierając dla siebie namiot.

Oberwałem od księdza z ambony – Jakie zasady obowiązują podczas znakowania szlaku? Ile farby potrzeba na wymalowanie kilometra szlaku? Czy kolory szlaków cokolwiek oznaczają? Jak szacowane są czasy przejść podawane na drogowskazach? Na te i inne pytania w rozmowie z Jakubem Terakowskim odpowiada Leszek Maślanka, znakarz szlaków turystycznych.

* Źródło : – http://www.npm.pl/

** See :

- Nanda Devi East Expedition 2009 part 1 : Polish to celebrate 70th anniversary of first ascent.

- Nanda Devi East Expedition 2009 part 2 : Polish to celebrate 70th anniversary of first ascent.

- Polish Himalaya Expeditions 2009 part 5. Himalaje 2009 – polskie wyprawy, cz.5. /Version english and polish/

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

Z Arturem Hajzerem i Robertem Szymczakiem o zimowej wyprawie na Broad Peak rozmawia Łukasz Długowski.

Wasz namiot w obozie drugim podczas zimowej wyprawy na Broad Peak był na dwie osoby.

Spaliście w nim w sześciu. Zgłosiliście to do księgi rekordów Guinessa?

Artur Hajzer: – To było bliskie spotkanie trzeciego stopnia, bardzo integracyjne. (śmiech)
Robert Szymczak: – Takie sytuacje to nic dziwnego. To się generalnie zdarza.

Jak to wyglądało w rzeczywistości?
R.Sz.: – Wyglądało jak przekładaniec. Trzy osoby z głowami po jednej stronie, trzy z drugiej. Najtrudniejszą sprawą było nocne sikanie. Na dużej wysokości dużo częściej oddaje się mocz. Mieliśmy jedną butelkę do podziału. Musieliśmy wyznaczyć kogoś do jej opróżniania, bo niemożliwe było wylewanie zawartości przez każdego z osobna. Padło na Alego, naszego pakistańskiego kolegę. Przez całą noc był budzony, żeby załatwić „sprawę”, a jak się potem okazało, on sam tej nocy nie sikał.

Jak do tego doszło, że wylądowaliście w szóstkę w jednym namiocie?
R.Sz.: – Jedną z przyczyn była pogoda, drugą błąd ludzki. Namiot w obozie drugim postawiliśmy w drugim tygodniu wyprawy, a atak szczytowy nastąpił po pięćdziesięciu dniach od tego momentu. I cóż, namiot po prostu nie przetrwał siedmiu tygodni w tak skrajnych warunkach. Mieliśmy jeszcze drugi, postawiony podczas transportowania sprzętu. On też był trochę zniszczony, ale to wynikało z błędu ludzkiego. Nie był dobrze przymocowany i wiatr trochę nim potargał. Z tego, co zostało z obu namiotów, złożyliśmy jeden i w nim spaliśmy.

Po założeniu trójki długo siedzieliście w bazie i czekaliście na dobrą pogodę. W końcu napisaliście na blogu, że trzeba podjąć męską decyzję – wyjść i zawalczyć przy wietrze wiejącym 100 kilometrów na godzinę.
R.Sz.: – Gdy czekałem przez kilka tygodni na dobrą pogodę, dotarło do mnie, że może próbujemy oszukać zimę. A tego się chyba raczej nie da. Trzeba zaryzykować i pójść przy takiej pogodzie, jaka jest. Stwierdziliśmy, że dojdziemy nawet w złej pogodzie do obozu trzeciego.
A.H.: – Dysponując bardzo dokładnymi prognozami pogody, przyjęliśmy taktykę czekania. Potem okazało się, że to było czekanie na cud. Te precyzyjne prognozy miały dać nam szansę wstrzelenia się w prawie bezwietrzne warunki. Prognozy rzeczywiście czymś takim nas mamiły, ale były to prognozy długookresowe. One mówiły: za tydzień, dwa będzie lepiej. Jak ta prognoza zmieniała się w krótkoterminową, okazywało się, że będzie wiać co najmniej 60 kilometrów na godzinę i więcej. W końcu uświadomiliśmy sobie, że zimy nie da się oszukać. Trzeba się zderzyć z nią i z wiatrem. Ostatecznie było tak, że podczas ataku szczytowego wiało z prędkością 90 kilometrów na godzinę. Były takie momenty, że trzeba było iść na kolanach albo przycupnąć, by w ogóle posuwać się dalej.

(…)

Więcej – czytaj w numerze „n.p.m.”

Źródło : – http://www.npm.pl/

** See :

- Nanda Devi East Expedition 2009 part 1 : Polish to celebrate 70th anniversary of first ascent.

- Nanda Devi East Expedition 2009 part 2 : Polish to celebrate 70th anniversary of first ascent.

- Polish Himalaya Expeditions 2009 part 5. Himalaje 2009 – polskie wyprawy, cz.5. /Version english and polish/

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

Walter Bargen is the Poet Laureate of Missouri, the first person to hold that post since its creation by Governor Matt Blunt in January, 2008. He has published numerous books of poems: Fields of Thenar, Mysteries in the Public Domain, Yet Other Waters, The Vertical River, Rising Water: Reflections on the Year of the Great Flood, At The Dead Center Of Day, Water Breathing Air, Harmonic Balance, Feast: Prose Poem Sequences, Remedies for Vertigo, and Theban Traffic. His poetry and fiction have appeared in over one hundred magazines, including American Literary Review, American Letters & Commentary, Beloit Poetry Journal, Denver Quarterly, Georgia Review, International Quarterly, Missouri Review, New Letters, New Novel Review, Pleiades, Poetry Northwest, River Styx, Seneca Review, Sycamore Review, and Witness.  He is the recipient of a National Endowment for theArts poetry fellowship (1991); winner of the Quarter After Eight Prose Prize (1996), the Hanks Prize (1996), and the Chester H. Jones Foundation poetry prize (1997).

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Links:

Walter Bargen’s Web Page

Beirut Reading Audio Clip (MP3 audio file)

Civilized Sacrifice Reading Audio Clip (MP3 audio file)

Icebound Reading Audio Clip (MP3 audio file)

“Map to the Party” Audio Clip (MP3 audio file)

New Letters on the Air: Missouri Poet Laureate Walter Bargen – KCUR radio interview with Walter Bargen

Poetry gets wings: Missouri’s first-ever poet laureate will spread the word – MizzouWire interview with video.

An Interview with Walter Bargen, First Poet Laureate of Missouri – from BkMk Press

Arts on Monday: A talk with Missouri’s Poet Laureate, Ashland native Walter Bargen – Thinking Out Loud interview in MP3 audio format

Words of Joyful Power – Walter Bargen interviewed by Annie Nelson. Includes a number of MP3 audio clips

Missouri’s first poet laureate moves poetry toward the center of society – St. Louis Beacon article by Elia Powers

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Poems On-Line:

Visual Appeal

In These Times

Results and Prospects

Paperwork

To Put By

Around the Flat World

Circus of Stares

CONJUGATING ANATOMIES

Dissolving

Stupid Dead

DOMINO COFFEE SHOP

Conversation

Sparrows

Rising Flocks

Chinese Boxes

ZOONOTIC

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Video:

Joyce Sutphen lives in Chaska, Minnesota and teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She is the author of Naming the Stars (2003), Straight Out of View (Beacon Press, 1995), winner of the 1994 Barnard New Women Poets Prize, and Coming Back to the Body (Holy Cow! Press, 2000). Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Poetry, The Gettysburg Review, Water~Stone, Hayden’s Ferry, Shenandoah, Luna, and others.

 Reviews:

 Sutphen’s Coming Back to the Body is a powerful yet gentle recollection of the author’s past, beginning with life on the farm and meandering its way to her present state. As her tone and emphasis changes from page to page, you begin to develop a sense of the spectrum of her spiritual being. She takes you from childhood naivety, casually to heart wrenching loss and frustrating regret. What I found to be the most powerful in her writing was that at certain points in the book, one poem stands out as a crossroads for several previous threads that explodes with the depths of meaning one finds in Shakespeare. When you come across these poems, you will be very well aware of the author’s genius. A beautiful and touching read.

 – , Book Reviewer, Amazon.com

Sutphen’s poetry can hit you like a bright sunset after a day of gloomy rain. Although she claims in one poem to be burning the woods of her childhood tree by tree, she proceeds to show the subtle pleasures of growing up on a midwestern farm and briefly resurrect friends who have since passed out of her life. Elsewhere, she takes such luminaries as Plath, Yeats, Eliot, and Socrates as subjects without ever losing the controlled energy and observant eye that make her more personal poems so powerful. Her words and images fly, but not out of view. It is possible to appreciate the grace and sweep of every poem without any sacrifice of meaning; each poem raises its wings and leaves us grateful for such poetic flight.

– Elizabeth Gunderson, Booklist

Sutphen’s first collection, awarded the 1994 Barnard New Women Poets Prize, reveals a poet of place whose assured, straightforward style seems sprung from the Minnesota farmlands where she was raised: melodious language disarmingly combined with a wry practicality towards the business of poetry. Her subject matter, however, extends beyond the homegrown, moving from the sudden disaster of “Tornado Warning” to sweeping landscapes of the American West to London, where in gentler tones she confronts Sylvia Plath through the medium of poetry. Sutphen’s voice is refreshing in that she examines the everyday without being overtly confessional, often capturing emotion with swift (sometimes too swift) imagistic strokes. Throughout she attends closely to the internal realities of quite ordinary existence: “It bothered my sense of symmetry to notice how a perfectly/ unplanned life could take on such an intricate pattern.”

– Publisher’s Weekly

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Links:

 Joyce Sutphen’s Professorial Profile – Associate Professor of English, Gustavus Adolphus College

 Good Thunder Reading Series – from the Minnesota State University Department of English. These are MP3 audio files. You can listen to an interview with Joyce Sutphen here. Hear a talk presented by Joyce Sutphen here.

Straight Out of View - Joyce Sutphen’s first book reviewed by Chris Lott

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 Poems On-Line:

 Crossroads

 A Kind of Villanelle

 All Reason and No Rhyme

 At the Moment

 Casino

 Evening Angelus

 Ever After

 In Black

 Key of Dust

 Living in the Body

 Naming the Stars

 Older, Younger, Both

 Sometimes Never

 The Exorcism

 The Farm

 From the 16th Floor

 Winter’s Night

 Some Glad Morning

Soundings

Getting the Machine

Semi-Literate

Girl on a Tractor

In the Beginning

The Day

Things You Didn’t Put On Your Resumé

Guys Like That

Secret Agent Man

The Book of Hours

The Wordsworth Effect

The Shop

My Brother’s Hat

After, Always After

Seeing, Up Close Again

Death, Inc.

As Time Always Does

Homesteading

The Peaches

High Heels

Audun Lysbakken fra SV lanserer en ny bok som tar et oppgjør med markedsorienteringen i offentlig sektor de siste 20 årene. Han går til frontalangrep på New public management eller NPM, som han mener har vært kostnadsdrivende for det offentlige Norge. SV har beregnet seg frem til at NPM har kostet det offentlige 12 milliarder penger og de ønsker seg tilbake til en virkelighet hvor ingen stiller spørsmål ved kostnader eller beregner priser på tjenester som det offentlige yter til borgerne.

I boken foreslår han deltakende budsjettering som et tiltak for å ”ta makten tilbake” til borgerne. SV med Stian Oen i spissen og deres røde kamerater i bydelsutvalget på St.Hanshaugen foreslo også dette i forbindelse med budsjettprosessen i bydelene i fjor høst. Den røde flertallskonstellasjonen av SV, AP og Rødt vedtok at dette skulle gjennomføres i bydelen, før bydelsdirektøren så seg nødt til å rapportere dette inn til byråden som et ulovlig vedtak.

Det finnes mange grunner til å være mot deltagende budsjettering. Si for eksempel at man har 500 millioner som skal dekke lovpålagte oppgaver. I folkemøter om budsjettet kan man da få bindende votering blant borgerne om å prioritere mer til eldre og mer til barnehager slik at totalkostnadene plutselig beløper seg til 1000 millioner, eller 1 milliard om man vil. Hvem er det da som skal stå ansvarlig for dette? Man har et bindende vedtak om en budsjettoverskridelse på 500 millioner og det vil i utgangspunktet være politikerne, de folkevalgte, som må stå til ansvar for dette, selv om de er bundet av et vedtak fattet av borgerne. Skal man da stille politikerne til ansvar for vedtak fattet av borgerne eller skal borgerne selv måtte betale for sine ekstrabevilgninger over skatteseddel eller lønnstrekk?

Så kan man spørre seg, hvorfor skal man ha lokalt folkevalgte dersom borgerne skal binde opp alle budsjettmidlene? Kan man ikke da bare fjerne lokalt folkevalgte og la borgerne i allmøter instruere den offentlige administrasjonen, også kjent som anarki?

Lysbakken trekker frem deltagende budsjettering som et viktig skritt på veien mot et deltagende demokrati, men hvor mye deltagende demokrati blir dette? Det vil i utgangspunktet være de ressurssterke som vil få påvirke disse prosessene da disse i en større grad vil være i stand til å danne pressgrupper og samle folk til å få igjennom sine forslag mens de mindre ressurssterke vil falle igjennom. Forslaget vil altså virke stikk motsatt av sin hensikt dersom hensikten var å ivareta de mindre ressurssterkes interesser, noe man må kunne velge å anta er målsetningen når det kommer fra Sosialistisk Venstreparti.

Det er tydelig at det finnes sterke krefter på venstresiden i SV, her representert ved Lysbakken og Oen som ønsker dramatiske omlegginger med veldig negative konsekvenser for borgerne.

Stephen Dobyns has published ten books of poetry and twenty novels. His books of poetry include Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides (Penguin, 1999); Common Carnage (1996); Velocities: New and Selected Poems, 1966-1992 (1994); Cemetery Nights (1987), which won a Melville Cane Award; Black Dog, Red Dog (1984), which was a winner in the National Poetry Series; Heat Death (1980); and Concurring Beasts (1972), which was the 1972 Lamont Poetry Selection of The Academy of American Poets. His most recent novels are Boy in the Water (Holt/Metropolitan, 1999), The Church of Dead Girls (1997), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), The Wrestler’s Cruel Study (1993), and Saratoga Haunting (1993). His novels have been translated into more than ten languages. Dobyns is also the author of a collection of short stories, Eating Naked (2000) and a book of essays, Best Words, Best Order (1996). Among his many honors and awards are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including the University of Iowa and Boston University. Stephen Dobyns lives in Boston with his wife and three children.

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Links:

Cortland Review Interview with Stephen Dobyns – text with a selection of audio clips

Sidelights – Informative Biography Research Center article on Stephen Dobyns

The Afterlife: Letter to Stephen Dobyns II – Hayden Carruth’s poem written TO Stephen Dobyns, from American Poetry Review

The Muse and the Contemporary Classic – Scholarly article on the work of Stephen Dobyns by Dana Wilde, from The Antigonish.

An Interview with Stephen Dobyns – From Ploughshares, interviewed by Laure-Anne Bosselaar

Stephen Dobyns Discusses The Church of Dead Girls – Interviewed by Joseph Mallozzi

Alsop Review Interview with Stephen Dobyns

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Poems On-Line:

Yellow Beak

Loud Music

The Dark and Turbulent Sea

How to Like It

Favorite Iraqi Soldier

In A Row

It’s Like This

Spite

[Over a cup of coffee]

Waking

Where We Are (after Bede)

Santiago: Five Men in the Street: Number One

Sloth

The Body’s Curse

Spiritual Chickens

Bravado

Freight Cars

No Map

Cezanne’s Outrageousness

Long Story

Santiago: Forestal Park

Why Fool Around?

Thus He Endured

Thelonious Monk

The Invitations Overhead

The Casualties of April

When a Friend

Being Happy

Funeral

Folk Tales

The Music One Looks Back On

Cezanne and the Love of Color

Confession

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Video:

William “Billy” Collins served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States, from 2001 to 2003. In his home state, Collins has been recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004. He was recently appointed Claire Berman Artist in Residence at The Roxbury Latin School, in West Roxbury, MA. He is a distinguished professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York. His books of poetry include Sailing Alone Around the Room (Random House, 2001); Picnic, Lightning (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998); The Art of Drowning (1995), which was a Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize finalist; Questions About Angels (1991), a National Poetry Series selection by Edward Hirsch; The Apple That Astonished Paris (1988); Video Poems (1980); and Pokerface (1977). In 2005 Collins was the first annual recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry, bestowed by the Poetry Foundation (Poetry Magazine). He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1993, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Collins served as judge for the 2005 Brittingham Prize in Poetry.

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Links:

Audio recording of Billy Collins reading at the 2003 Key West Literary Seminar

Poetry Matters: Q&A With Professor Billy Collins – Billy Collins interviewed by Nabil Rahman

11 animated poems read aloud by Billy Collins – This is a MUST SEE! The animated shorts that started the poetry video revolution!

Watch Billy Collins recite his work at Open-Door Poetry

33 poems read aloud by Billy Collins, no charge (Creative Commons)

A Brisk Walk: An interview with Billy Collins – From Guernica Magazine

Billy Collins, Bringing Poetry to the Public – Interview by Dave Weich

Billy Collins on National Poetry Month – NPR’s Renee Montagne speaks with Billy Collins on the occasion of National Poetry Month. Collins reads two poems — one war-related, one not — and explains how poetry of any kind is useful when coping with difficult situations like the war in Iraq.

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Poems On-Line:

Aristotle

Canada

Creatures

Design

Forgetfulness

Her

Introduction to Poetry

Irish Poetry

Litany

Madmen

Man in Space

Morning

No Time

Nostalgia

Print

Questions About Angels

Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause To Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles

Silence

Snow Day

Study in Orange and White

The Breather

The Chairs That No One Sits In

The Death of Allegory

The Parade

The Wires of the Night

Today

Workshop

Writing in the Afterlife

Fishing on the Susquehanna in July

Forgetfulness

Introduction to Poetry

Litany

Some Days

The First Night

The Golden Years

Workshop

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Video:

Albert Goldbarth is an American poet known for his prolific production, his gregarious tone, his eclectic interests and his distinctive ‘talky’ style. He has been a Guggenheim fellow and won the National Book Critics Circle award in 1991 and 2001, the only poet to receive the honor two times. He also won the Mark Twain Award for Humorous Poetry, awarded by the Poetry Foundation, in 2008. He has published more than twenty-five collections of poetry, including The Kitchen Sink: New and Selected Poems 1972-2007 (Graywolf Press, 2007); Saving Lives (2001) and Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology (1991), both of which won the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry (Goldbarth is the only poet to have received the award twice); Popular Culture (1990), which received the Ohio State University Press / The Journal Award; and Jan. 31 (1974), which was nominated in 1975 for the National Book Award. He is Adele Davis Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Wichita State University, where he has taught since 1987. He lives in Wichita, Kansas.

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Links:

The Earrings: The Poem as Prediction – Essay by Albert Goldbarth

Albert Golbarth Interviewed on NPR – in real audio format

The Mode Not Taken: The wacky, talky, fat poetry of Albert Goldbarth – Slate interview by Eric McHenry

Poems like little novels – “Saving Lives” review by David Kirby, of The Christian Science Monitor

America’s Funniest Bard Doesn’t Just Win Awards, He Also Collects Robots And Rocket Ships - Albert Goldbarth interviewed by Richard Siken

Reading at the Kelly Writers House, University of Pennsylvania, October 20, 2005

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Poems On-Line:

27,000 Miles

How Simile Works

Lullabye

Shawl

The Sciences Sing a Lullabye

Units

Library

SECTIONED OUT

INSTANCES OF FAITH

Dog, Fish, Shoes (or Beans)

Human Beauty

One Continuous Substance

Sentimental

Tarpan and Aurochs

Stonehenge

Stationed

Imps

Rarefied

Cock

D____ L____’s

If We Were Honest

Laws of the Universe

Marble-Sized Song

Second Thoughts

Sentimental

Sestina: As There Are Support Groups, There Are Support Words

Stomackes

Suitcase Song

The Way

The Lions in His Menagerie

The Poppy Fields of Afghanistan

Not Sumerian

Swallow

The English Rat

The Song of How We Believe

Stated Focus

Fetishes of Passport

Scale-Model Sketch

Stories

Crystal / Window / Gem

Roof & Writing

Jan. 31st — 31 Yrs.

A History of Civilization

Too Here

The Initial Published Discovery

This Scene Before

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Video:

Miles David Moore is a Washington reporter for Crain Communications Inc. He is a member of the board of directors of The Word Works and producer/host of the monthly Iota Poetry Series readings in Arlington, Va. His books of poetry include: The Bears of Paris (Word Works, 1995); Buddha Isn’t Laughing (Argonne House Press, 1999); and Rollercoaster (Word Works, 2004). With Karren L. Alenier and Hilary Tham, he co-edited Winners: A Retrospective of the Washington Prize (Word Works, 1999). Fatslug Unbound, a CD of Moore and 14 other poets reading his work, was issued by Minimus Productions in 2000. He has twice been a Jenny McKean Moore scholar at George Washington University; was twice a semi-finalist in the “Discovery”/The Nation contest; and has been nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize.

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Links:

Miles David Moore’s Scene4 Blog (mostly about movies)

Poet and the Poem – Miles David Moore interviewed by Grace Cavalieri, with lots of readings

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Poems On-Line:

A BLUESMAN IN CHILLICOTHE, OHIO

VERTIGO

FATSLUG IN THE TIME OF DROUGHT

FATSLUG AND THE MYSTERY OF LOST CLOTHES

THOU ART A POET

DEAD BOY IN THE ROAD AT FREDERICKSBURG

FULL MOON ON K STREET (text)

FULL MOON ON K STREET (audio)

Two Men

“I Love Barbie Taylor. T. Mc.”

Fatslug on Ice

THE MAN WHO HATED OCEANS

Poetry and Music

To a Modern Poet

FATSLUG MEETS A POET

FATSLUG INVENTS A LANGUAGE

Fatslug is MAAAD

Fatslug in the Fourth Grade

THE BLESSING OF PEACOCKS

Gary Snyder is an American poet often associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance, as well as an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist (frequently described as the “poet laureate of Deep Ecology”). Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. His work, in his various roles, reflects an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. Snyder has also translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese. For many years, Snyder served as a faculty member at the University of California, Davis, as well as on the California Arts Council.

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Links:

A solid, in-depth bio on Gary Snyder from Americanpoems.com

Gary Snyder Interviewed in Poetry Flash – Interviewed by Juliet Harding

Gary Snyder – interview, Whole Earth Review , Winter, 1988

Audio Interview with Gary Snyder - The question, “Do we value other living beings?” intrigues Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author, Gary Snyder. His passion for nature and the legacy of Native Americans inspired him to write The High Sierra of California, Turtle Island, The Gary Snyder Reader, The Practice of the Wild: Essays and more. Gary Snyder also talks about living in Japan, becoming a Zen Buddhist, and his life of writing in this 1991 interview with Don Swaim. Listen to the Gary Snyder interview with Don Swaim, 1991, RealAudio (38 min. 32 sec.) or download the MP3 File

The Wild Mind of Gary Snyder – Shambhala Sun interview byy Trevor Carolan

Gary Snyder reading August 1983 – This August 1983 recording is of Gary Snyder reading in Boulder for the first time since 1972. It is a selection of poetry from his work “Axe Handles.” The commentary between poems reflects his interest in Buddhism and his travelling and anthropological experiences. He comments on the inspirations for some of his written works. Audio download.

A Bunch of Poetry Classes Led By Gary Snider at Naropa University

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Poems On-Line:

A Dent in a Bucket

A Maul for Bill and Cindy’s Wedding

Above Pate Valley

Burning Island

Four Poems for Robin

I Went into the Maverick Bar

Kyoto: March

Meeting the Mountains

Milton by Firelight

Piute Creek

Riprap

Saying Farewell at the Monastery after Hearing the Old Master Lecture on “Return to the Source”

Seaman’s Ditty

The Bath

Waiting for a Ride

Axe Handles

For/From Lew

There Are Those Who Love to Get Dirty

For Lew Welch in a Snowfall

December at Yase

At Tower Peak

For All

Hiking in the Totsugawa Gorge

How Poetry Comes to Me

Manzanita

Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout

No Matter, Never Mind

On Top

Regarding Wave

Once Only

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Video:

Brandon D. Johnson, originally from Gary, Indiana has lived in the Washington, DC. area for the past 20 years. He is a founding member of the Modern Urban Griots, a poetry and performance collective in the District of Columbia. He’s performed at It’s Your Mug, New York’s Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, and the Whitney Museum, the Joaquin Miller Cabin Poetry Series, and the Grace Church Poetry Series. He received Honorable Mention and Third Place in poetry in the DC Commission on the Arts’ Larry Neal Writers’ Competition in 1996 and ‘97. During the summers of ‘97 and ‘98, he participated in the Cave Canem Workshop/Retreat, a program for African American Poets founded by Cornelius Eady and Toi Derricotte. Recently, Brandon was awarded a Fellowship Grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He is author of the collections Love’s Skin and Man Burns Ant, and co-author of The Black Rooster Social Inn: This is the Place.

Reviews:

“Brandon Johnson’s fine new book is rich with a variety of memorable characters and voices. The control of tone is absolute, especially where there is a delicate teetering between the rueful and the amused. There are moves here worthy of Sterling Brown.” –Henry Taylor

“Brandon Johnson’s poems shack up with the blues, and recast every terse, lyrical and emotional detail present in its locket….Let this hoodoo man in your life.” –Reuben Jackson

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Links:

Poet and the Poem – Brandon D. Johnson interviewed by Grace Cavalieri, with lots of readings

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Poems On-Line:

Plotters

Cool

betting dad

Displaced Person

Point Made

So I Couldn’t Hear

Trouble Man

FLAMENCO PANTOUM

Bop: Bop

Past Time

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Video: