I've been adding people I like the look of to my Facebook page. Writers I admire, publishers, activists, journalists, politicians, poets, teachers, chefs, producers, fellow humans - all kinds of people.
It's a two way street of course. Some of them have been kind enough to add me out of mere curiosity, but I was most honoured and happy when the great Harold Evans added me. I imagine him thinking. Let's try out the social media, let's see what it brings in. My father, also an editor, got to the stage where he said. Look Phil, I am not really interested in having a forum where people talk back. I want to hold forth for a while.
You mean Ipse Dixit, I said, and told him the story of Pythagoras behind the curtain holding forth. I can't really express the quality of my father, he was shot through with it. Those who know him, know this. And I heard him speak well of Harold Evans, respectfully. Of course he deeply appreciated good writing and even his pronouncements, in the brief time he had to make them, referred to other people and quoted other journalists so appreciatively. Jonathan Steele on Arafat, for example.
What a marvellous thing the Internet is and hasn't Zuckerberg done well. Who could have imagined that after reading one of their books one could reach out and say hi to the writer. My daughter was writing an essay on the Buddha of Suburbia and, if I like, she can say hi to Hanif because he is very democratic in the way he adds people. I remember seeing My Beautiful Launderette, such an influential film.
There is something so soulful about posting your thoughts into the ether, not is a bodyless abstract way, but in a platonic essential sort of way. Emotions become refined and powerful. I wouldn't have known that Walter Shwarz had published his memories of India, wouldn't have been able to read the articles of my old friend Sunil Khilnani, have been able to stay buddies with Sheesheck and Etienne or have the hope of meeting others one day when they come to England.
A lot of Facebook is ersatz of course. There is my family, there are friends, then there are facebook friends. But there are at least 4 people on Facebook I met through blogging who are now on Facebook and I know they are my friends. I would have no hesitation in meeting up with them, though perhaps not to have an afternoon ziz on their sofa and take a beer from their fridge.
I am amused by people who say Facebook is rubbish. Perhaps the nomenclature is a little infantile: friend, like, unlike. It hurts the eyes of someone with respect for language. My son showed me a Bill Baily comedy skit on it. But really, criticising Facebook is like being angry about telephones or TVs.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
For decades, the rich abused
the middle class, trying to take
us back to times of serfs,
peasants, and slaves. Union blood
bought us forty-hour work
weeks, two days off, pensions, health care
benefits. The middle
class expanded to include more
than merchants, small business
owners. The rich rebelled, taking
their jobs and paychecks to
China, India. The
U.S. prospers, but all
the money goes into only
a few pockets. They trashed
our economy, destroyed the
value of our homes, the
only asset most of us own,
and stole the taxes that
should have repaired roads, taught children,
protected our safety,
delivered quality health care
to us all. They monger
fear, set religious believers
against each other. Last
night they dropped all pretense of a
budget crisis, broke the
law, came for the trade unionists.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
Will the American
people finally wake up to
the outrageous, horrid,
parasitic travesties the
GOP perpetuated
on us all? Will they stop
allowing the GOP to
ignore/remove/destroy
our Constitutional rights? Or
did we hear the death knoll
of the Democratic party,
last night? Cash from corporate
America and the 400
who own more than millions
inundates the GOP with
ample funds to buy votes
in Congress for more tax breaks and
opportunities to
abuse what's left of the middle
class. Only the unions
have enough money to
fight back. Only the unions stand
between us and return
to a world run by dictators
and robber barons. The
ultra right-wing resorted to
lies and fabrications
against organizations that
register and recruit
minority, poor, and liberal
voters. Only unions
can compete against them. So the
big-money backers of
the Republican governor
have manufactured a
crises to take out the unions
in Wisconsin, using
public policy to destroy
their only rival. Should
their union busting succeed in
Wisconsin, Ohio,
Indiana, Pennsylvania,
they will come for the rest.
All the big political cash
to decide who wins and
loses elections will support
right-wing candidates. Bake
sales versus billionaires, what the
future of elections
will look like if we don't speak up.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
FI Goldhaber
It's a two way street of course. Some of them have been kind enough to add me out of mere curiosity, but I was most honoured and happy when the great Harold Evans added me. I imagine him thinking. Let's try out the social media, let's see what it brings in. My father, also an editor, got to the stage where he said. Look Phil, I am not really interested in having a forum where people talk back. I want to hold forth for a while.
You mean Ipse Dixit, I said, and told him the story of Pythagoras behind the curtain holding forth. I can't really express the quality of my father, he was shot through with it. Those who know him, know this. And I heard him speak well of Harold Evans, respectfully. Of course he deeply appreciated good writing and even his pronouncements, in the brief time he had to make them, referred to other people and quoted other journalists so appreciatively. Jonathan Steele on Arafat, for example.
What a marvellous thing the Internet is and hasn't Zuckerberg done well. Who could have imagined that after reading one of their books one could reach out and say hi to the writer. My daughter was writing an essay on the Buddha of Suburbia and, if I like, she can say hi to Hanif because he is very democratic in the way he adds people. I remember seeing My Beautiful Launderette, such an influential film.
There is something so soulful about posting your thoughts into the ether, not is a bodyless abstract way, but in a platonic essential sort of way. Emotions become refined and powerful. I wouldn't have known that Walter Shwarz had published his memories of India, wouldn't have been able to read the articles of my old friend Sunil Khilnani, have been able to stay buddies with Sheesheck and Etienne or have the hope of meeting others one day when they come to England.
A lot of Facebook is ersatz of course. There is my family, there are friends, then there are facebook friends. But there are at least 4 people on Facebook I met through blogging who are now on Facebook and I know they are my friends. I would have no hesitation in meeting up with them, though perhaps not to have an afternoon ziz on their sofa and take a beer from their fridge.
I am amused by people who say Facebook is rubbish. Perhaps the nomenclature is a little infantile: friend, like, unlike. It hurts the eyes of someone with respect for language. My son showed me a Bill Baily comedy skit on it. But really, criticising Facebook is like being angry about telephones or TVs.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
For decades, the rich abused
the middle class, trying to take
us back to times of serfs,
peasants, and slaves. Union blood
bought us forty-hour work
weeks, two days off, pensions, health care
benefits. The middle
class expanded to include more
than merchants, small business
owners. The rich rebelled, taking
their jobs and paychecks to
China, India. The
U.S. prospers, but all
the money goes into only
a few pockets. They trashed
our economy, destroyed the
value of our homes, the
only asset most of us own,
and stole the taxes that
should have repaired roads, taught children,
protected our safety,
delivered quality health care
to us all. They monger
fear, set religious believers
against each other. Last
night they dropped all pretense of a
budget crisis, broke the
law, came for the trade unionists.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
Will the American
people finally wake up to
the outrageous, horrid,
parasitic travesties the
GOP perpetuated
on us all? Will they stop
allowing the GOP to
ignore/remove/destroy
our Constitutional rights? Or
did we hear the death knoll
of the Democratic party,
last night? Cash from corporate
America and the 400
who own more than millions
inundates the GOP with
ample funds to buy votes
in Congress for more tax breaks and
opportunities to
abuse what's left of the middle
class. Only the unions
have enough money to
fight back. Only the unions stand
between us and return
to a world run by dictators
and robber barons. The
ultra right-wing resorted to
lies and fabrications
against organizations that
register and recruit
minority, poor, and liberal
voters. Only unions
can compete against them. So the
big-money backers of
the Republican governor
have manufactured a
crises to take out the unions
in Wisconsin, using
public policy to destroy
their only rival. Should
their union busting succeed in
Wisconsin, Ohio,
Indiana, Pennsylvania,
they will come for the rest.
All the big political cash
to decide who wins and
loses elections will support
right-wing candidates. Bake
sales versus billionaires, what the
future of elections
will look like if we don't speak up.
Last night the end started.
The only question: end of what?
FI Goldhaber
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