He Had Energy

We lost a dear friend this past weekend. Obituaries and remembrances frequently laud the deceased for their kindness and warmth. Erick From French was no different. We have been fortunate to know many good, unselfish people in our lifetime. But EFF had a special zest for life, and we are not just saying that: he had a vision problem that kept him from driving a car, but he was always everywhere, doing everything. Always learning, always taking risks and pushing life to its limits. Frankly, we thought he would die cliff diving, or something along those lines. But not like this. We’ve always struggled to believe people are inherently good — we believe Faulkner was being politically correct when he “declined to accept the end of man” in Sweden. Yet whenever we feel down about humanity, we think about EFF. We’ve done it for years. His positive nature was infectious and reassuring. As the articles contained herein illustrate, we are sad, but EFF’s memory keeps us happy. And, In Case You Missed It, we have an interview with Operation Ivy, whose artwork decorated his body. Friend, we miss you. – Andrew Geer

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Politics As Usual

We’d like to say we’re done moving, painting, signing our life away. After the purchase of our first home, we’re descending into a life that’s more Shining and less Barney’s Great Adventure. But that’s another story. It’s on to the Flurry! Big media stories usually rely on three interwoven topics: politics, business, and crime. We miss Teddy over here at DSM, so let’s delve back into politics, which is not unpredictable for a Thursday. We’re all for diversity. Today we offer stories with a right wing perspective. An art historian finds another side to Hitler, by examining his art. William Bradley reminds us that Teddy’s passing means the end of Camelot. JFK’s Bay of Pigs invasion failed. Commonweal believes the war in Afghanistan will, too. Finally, In Case You Missed It, we have George Orwell’s 1946 essay on Politics and the English Language. As for us, we’re headed back to the campaign trail, which leads directly to our new front door. — Andrew Geer

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Gogol: The Funny Russian

Thursday usually belongs to Contributing Editor Andrew Geer. But this Thursday he cannot contribute. He has to go buy a house, or something. Anyway, we will do our best to replicate Drew’s Southern fried wit in today’s hurling of literary snowballs (Hey, it’s too damn hot to use summery metaphors). Speaking of colder climates, how’s your Russian? несчастье, you say? Well then, head to The Guardian and drink in the cool breeze of Nikolai Gogol. Then ask yourself, how much would I pay for this experience? The National Book Critics Circle reviews two books that ask the same question. A former bartender did more than drink with her regulars. She took their mugshots. The result is a very pretty book. Read about it in The Stranger. Dan Chaon discusses literary fiction and genre fiction in the A Well-Read Donkey. Barnes & Noble announces it will imprint out-of-print books. 1959 was an important year. How important? Fred Kaplan wrote an entire book about it. Finally, In Case You Missed It, the winners of the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize were announced. — Kevin Murphy

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To Be Determined

Obama’s campaign was a movement. People rallied for him and against him. He was an individual who made his own decisions. But now as president, dozens of people help Obama decide. He calls Joe, Tim, Paul, Katherine, Larry, etc. Yes, He was a movement. But was He the only reason for that movement? Yes, He changed history. But didn’t He have a campaign team that helped him change things? Yes, He might bring us out of this economic crisis. But is it just His doing? The answers are obvious. We point them out only to illustrate that no single man makes a country. Once upon a time, the Socialist Worker examined the impact individuals have had across history. Check it out in today’s In Case You Missed It. The economy stinks. But it has been great for Engels, and Trotsky — currently two of the new household names in your local bookstore. Finally, in an example of history repeating itself, we have the end of Herbie Hoover’s administration, which influenced Jared Diamond’s Collapse, which might well influence Obama’s so-called brand of new socialism. — Andrew Geer

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Ignore This If You Are Reading DSM

Loyal readers know we have an obsession with baseball. The other day something happened. It looked like this. So, in the spirit of fighting, dissent and obsession, let’s look at the raging media debates of the day. Obsession relates to fighting and dissent, don’t you think? We’ve got people obsessed with health care, which causes them to fight. Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow says Susan Sontag is “inflammably sensual.” Academics love a good fight. They also have dissenting opinions, especially as their relevance continues to wane (we don’t agree. It’s just the devolving course of society). Katherine Howe’s debut gallops across personal history, genealogy and the Salem witch era — those obsessed fighters from the 17^th century. Richard Dawkins is always picking fights with God, and “The Greatest Show On Earth” fails to disappoint. Then again, he already had the New Atheists in his camp. In Case You Missed It, and in light of these recent reports — the reality, the somewhat cool, and the extremely horrible — we have a review of Fight Club, the movie. Countless searches into the archives find that many of the major literary publications missed the book’s release. Go ahead. Put ‘em up. – Andrew Geer

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