Big disappointment. This was the only site providing reasoned discourse by intelligent people. All others were less than satisfactory and not worth the time for various reasons. You will all be missed, especially Greenie. She (or he) was the absolute best. Thanks.
Have you considered monetizing the site via a modest monthly membership subscription and/or grants (think Silicone Valley)?
s
Absolutely. Good art creates strong emotions in its audience; bad art is simply cheaply-made, bland vanilla ice cream with no emotional response. Even outrage such as has been directed against works by such artists as Robert Mapplethorpe still indicates that it is in a critical sense "Good Art". You don't have to like it; you don't have to go to it repeatedly if the experience is not beneficial. I once skimmed one of his books in a bookshop, found most of the images and themes very distressing and after satisfying my curiosity regarding what all the fuss was about, never returned. But when I see the name or come across his work elsewhere, at least I have an understanding of the artist and the work. "I don't know the definition of pornography (or Good Art), but I know it when I see it.", to paraphrase U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. For me, the larger consideration is institutional censorship as opposed to individual censorship. You can spend your time and treasure any way you wish, but to be told how you can or cannot spend them is fascism and we really don't want to go there.
So to cite another dictum from my turbulent youth coming of age in the '60s, "If it feels good, do it."
s
I can remember the days before elective abortion became available anywhere in the U.S. It was pretty much a criminal enterprise which was tolerated with a blind eye by law enforcement and the medical establishment. And there were always privately practicing licensed physicians who falsified hospital records in order to do an inpatient D&C on the pregnant daughter or wife of a local wealthy or connected family.
The great unwashed were relegated to the services of local or traveling incompetents. But in truth, there was occasionally the rare individual who with knowledge and experience took pride in their line of work and actually performed many surgical abortions safely. But such was the rare exception. For almost all women seeking elective abortion their only option was an incredibly risky, painful, even life threatening assault at the hands of someone who didn't care whether their patient lived or died as long as they had the going price in hand.
For the life of me I cannot understand why any sane person would want to go back to that nightmare. s
Here's an article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch and his potential effect on abortion's place in our society as it relates to Constitutional law were he to be confirmed. The video at the end speaks volumes to his qualifications for that august and critical body regardless of how he would vote on potential abortion cases before the Court. But one has to believe he would try to take out the politics and establish the Constitutional law of the question regarding how women should be able to take control of their fertility, and thus their very lives. s
You might be right, but the reference to clear thinkers was an effort to let readers know that any links I posted were to authors with whom I couldn't agree more, and they were expressing my opinions better than I ever could. Thanks for your post. s
My only problem with the site has been an inability to access and exploit what I perceive to be the extensive options available for posting. But that's not Imzy's problem. It's mine because I'm inexperienced in how to effectively use the system. No, it's not intuitive for me either but I think that's indicative of where sites' interfaces are headed. There's minimal realtime hand-holding and the assumption is that posters and leaders are competent in using the site, even though some of us obviously aren't We simply have to keep using it and by feedback, tell the Munchkins there what's working for us and what's not.
Personally, I've found all the staff more than helpful, motivated, accessible, highly informed on how their site works, and most of all just nice folks. Sort of friendly, actually. And I like that most of all. As traffic picks up there probably will no longer be time for this personal relationship so for now, at least, I plan to relish and appreciate it. Things are never as good as they used to be. So I'll stick around for awhile and see what comes of all this.
After about three months, nobody has shown an interest in my Community. Surprising because it addresses what I thought was one of the most contentious and relevant issues of our society for the past 50 years, but was completely overlooked during the last national election campaign season. We'll see. s
I've been thinking about your dilemma. For one thing, I've learned to give any book at least 100 pages before I decide to quit. and no peeking ahead. Not even the greatest authors can win me over on the first page, unless their "voice", the way they string words together, their chops as a wordsmith, are so fascinating that I simply fall into their arms. When an accomplished wordsmith also develops a talent for storytelling, that's always a winner, and the two books I recommended do both extremely well. Shakespeare had a remarkable gift as both a wordsmith and a storyteller, and audiences still are moved by his work.
Also as someone else has suggested, collections of short stories are a great way to take nibbles of small stories until you get hooked. O. Henry, Poe, O'Hara, Cheever, Carson McCullers, and Conan Doyle are all wonderful. Even Dickens' epic masterpieces were written as serialized chapters published in popular newspapers of his day. Small bites of an enormous feast.
But almost always after the first 100 pages an accomplished author will have my attention. Hope you can find your way back into the ranks of those who are voracious readers. s
You just need to get what is called "a page turner". Since I believe girls your age have different literary tastes that boys, I would suggest "The Girls of Atomic City" -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451617526/ref%3Doh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you're a guy, "Flight of the Intruder" -
You're welcome. s
For me he's always been an example of how true talent plus impossible circumstances and superhuman effort can equal incredible art. s
SinceI'm 72 you could say I'm Really Very Olde School. Conan Doyle intrigued me because the characters were vividly drawn, the stories were easy to comprehend for a kid, and keeping all the clues straight while trying to solve the mystery was an intellectual challenge.
As for Poe, he introduced me to The Theater of the Mind with his vivid descriptions of white-knuckle suspense leading on occasion to gripping terror. I felt as if I was watching as well as reading. The most compelling thing about him for me is the tragic failure throughout his life both personal and literary compared to his exalted position in death as a poet and his raising the American short story after Hawthorn gave it birth. s
Collection of A. Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories and anything by Poe. s
Watch live? Neither. After-the-fact interest in Nominees and Winers? Oscar. s
I think you're right, but I doubt if your teacher did. d
So paint them a different color than white. Colour? You ain't from around these parts, is you'?
I would suggest that all employees be encouraged to write anything on any erasable wall, then let the moderator erase those deemed unwanted. If some walls are verboten for writing, change them to sheetrock and paint them. I mean, sooner or later you've got to trust people to cooperate. Those who choose not to cooperate are probably potential problems looking for a place to happen. Same as moderating a Community, which is what the walls actually are. Should be right in your strike zone. s
My taste runs more to the classics such as Poe and Hawthorn, but my first "short story experience", if you will, was John Cheever's "The Enormous Radio" which I found in a collection from the 40's or 50's within the confines of my high school's library. Since then it's been an ongoing journey with O'Henry, Carson McCullers, John O'Hara and so many others including the latest collection of the year's best as judged by an editor and panel (The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016). Thanks for asking. s
As predicted. s
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_ABORTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
As expected, but Senate passage would seem doubtful as would a Supreme Court of the United States ruling supporting constitutionality, so this is simply business as usual. s
If anyone has an interest in The American Short Story, I can highly recommend "The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016 Paperback – September 6, 2016", Available at Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1101971118/ref%3Doh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Just now finished it and it's great. s
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-09/a-new-attack-on-women-s-right-to-choose
And now for something completely different, sort of. This is just the latest cry of "Wolf!" from the liberal left conspiracy better known as "Hill" or "I'm With Her", which is now flooding the village square carrying pitchforks and torches amid cries of "Hang 'em High!". Too much too late. The Inauguration was peacefully completed this afternoon and now there's a new sheriff in town. New deputies arrived on the scene over two years ago, some four or more.
While fetal cell scientific research is certainly an important topic, there should really be no debate. Advancing the scientific base of medical knowledge is a moot point. There's too much potential benefit to all of mankind to waste valuable time and treasure debating the issue like how many angels can sit on the head of a pin.
But toward the end of the editorial is a comment about sitting Republican Representatives and Senators who hold and have held a majority in their respective chambers but now assume they have a President who poses no veto threat to their political agenda: "...the speaker of the House announced his party's intention to also strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the women's health-care provider whose work includes abortions."
While federal grant funding has long been available to Planned Parenthood and other women's reproductive healthcare provider entities (Planned Parenthood has received federal funding since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act, amending the Public Health Service Act. Title X of that law provides funding for family planning services, including contraception and family planning information. The law had support from both Republicans and Democrats. Nixon described Title X funding as based on the premise that "no American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her economic condition". Wikipedia), there have always been threats to defund the organization. Mostly ineffectual, these threats seemed to be simply political strategies intended to mobilize conservative votes as there never was an effective defunding effort, only threats.
Let's think about this for a minute: 46 years, ultra-conservative Republican President Richard Nixon, bi-partisan legislation. While today's legislators and presidents can collude to defund Title X grants to Planned Parenthood, I can't conceive of a Supreme Court Of The United States bench that would find such to be constitutional and not discriminatory. There have certainly been successful efforts since 1970 to stop foreign aid intended to be used for women's reproductive healthcare to countries allowing elective abortion, but foreign aid is beyond the jurisdiction of the SCOTUS.
But even if defunding is successful, Planned Parenthood has a whole stable of wealthy liberal philanthropies and their funders will be more than willing to take-up the slack. A bigger concern to me is a federal legislative or regulatory attempt to declare Planned Parenthood and it's affiliates inelligible for reimbursement by Medicaid and/or whatever other federally-sposored insurance scheme reimbursement is operative. That to me is the bigger threat.
So pick your side, make your voice heard, and save your protest for the ballot box. s
Sounds like the interest is already there and only needs careful nurturing. Most lending libraries have pretty good collections of opera DVDs. There are several english language children's versions of Motzart's "The Magic Flute" and it's a classic introduction to opera for kids. If you happen to live in the New York City area, of if you don't, I highly recommend a field trip (allow at least a full day) to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center at Lincoln center. It's right next door to the Met and adding on a tour there is a no-brainer. s
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ABORTION_REPORT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Here's an interesting item from the Associated Press regarding the decrease in the US elective abortion rate between 2011 and 2014. But it's sort of "I've got good news and bad news." The good news is first of all the elective abortion rate dropped considerably during that time, over 12%; and secondly a factor in the decrease is thought to be the increased availability of effective female contraception, best exemplified by the now over-the-counter availability of effective female hormonal contraception (birth control pills).
The bad news? Glad you asked. The other credited factor in the decrease was increased legislation and regulation of abortion at the state level in multiple jurisdictions, thereby also inhibiting pregnant women's access to safe, medically-performed elective abortion.
If you find this last factor troubling, I recommend you watch "The Tribe", a recently released critically acclaimed foreign film portraying the lives of "students" enrolled in an Eastern European state school for the deaf. While difficult to watch due to the lack of dialog and subtitles ("reality cinema"), it was to me even more distressing in it's portrayal of the students' violent, abusive, and even criminal lives. Toward the end there is a very realistic scene in which one of the female students obtains an elective abortion, which I can only describe as representative of the old "back alley" abortions I remember and have read about that were predominant before Roe v. Wade. It's currently available on Netflix.
Some you win and some you lose. s
I have a Kindle but only used it for about a year, then returned to hardbacks when I could get them. If cost is a concern, I found my local public lending library in West Virginia had a permanent section of used books for sale at $0.25/ea. I might have been their best customer. The local college library also always had a section of used books for sale at $1.00/ea. If you wish a specific title, Amazon.com has an extensive stable of book resellers with usually good prices. Some hardbacks I wished to keep, some I wished to share. At 72 years old, I'm now passing my old and tattered friends on to younger friends. The circle will be unbroken. s
I would urge any collection of American short stories, such as The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016 (https://smile.amazon.com/O-Henry-Prize-Stories-2016/dp/1101971118/ref%3Dsr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484785129&sr=8-1&keywords=o.henry%20prize) for contemporary authors and of course there's a multitude of inexpensive collections of the classics such as Nathanial Hawthorn or Edgar Allen Poe (my personal favorite and an excellent introduction to poetry) from the 19th century; 20th century authors such as William Sidney Porter (O. Henry, an early favorite), John Cheever (my introduction in the middle school library), John O'Hara; female authors such as Flannary O'Connor and of course Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird". There's a limitless store of contemporary Great American Novelists such as Margaret Mitchell (my first novel), John Irving (if you think she has the necessary maturity), John le Carre' if she has a taste for adventure (you can't beat"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold").
There's a special book no longer in print by Milton Cross, host for many years of the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday network radio broadcasts. The earliest editions are the rarest and I think the best, still available from used booksellers and on Amazon. If your daughter has even a hint of interest in music or theater, this would be a wonderful book as it describes the plots and narratives of all the classic operas. And as with the other books, the best experiences will be in sharing whatever interests she develops and reading or listening or viewing (Yeah, most of the good books and operas were made in to movies, some many times over.) with her and talking about them.
All these are legitimate, recognized, successful authors (with the exception of Poe who only found success post mortem) and are counted among my best friends. Please spring for hardbacks and avoid electronic books or paperbacks. It's easier to treasure a hardback (Yes! Yes! Treasure! That reminds me! Don't forget Stevenson's "Treasure Island"!). s
To be brutally honest, it's been like being trapped in an Egyptian pyramid's tomb with a dead Pharaoh. My "community" of one has only been up for less than a week and all the action has been with the wonderful staff at imzy. Don't get me wrong, they're great folks and ever so helpful and intelligent and talented but it's sorta' like incest. Or as they said when I lived in West Virginia, like kissing your sister. A little strange would be most welcome and appreciated. But it'll come. Eventually. s



ImzyImzy is shutting downMay 24 at 12:19 PM



