Mugging and Preening

So, Mussolini was a total clown. Watching footage of him, it's really hard to fathom how a man so clumsy, so obviously devoid of grace and intelligence became the architect of Italian fascism. Clumsy, yes, and hammy, but also possessing of an incredible physical self-confidence; a whole nation swept off its feet by the modern equivalent of an ugly male porn star, the ones that are cast so that dudes don't inadvertently get turned on watching straight porn. Mussolini mugs for the camera and for his audience in ways that are unthinkable for a politician–he moved like an oiled, tanned, body-building 70's era Ahnold (oh wait....). Is this odd kind of anti-charisma all it takes to rule the world?

Berlusconi is a fitting heir.

One Last Hurrah

Molly's Bookstore in the Italian Market is closing, leaving a huge book-shaped whole in my heart.

so...come to the last reading

Molly Russakoff, Ish Klein, CAConrad, Brandon Holmquest, and I will give a final reading at Molly's.

JOIN US on
Sunday, July 20th
at 7pm

1010 S. 9th St.
IN THE HEART OF PHILADELPHIA'S ITALIAN MARKET

Immigrant Dream Palace

I like how these people are all, "Why do they hate our beautiful houses?"

What would your immigrant dream house look like? Mine would have champagne glass shaped jacuzzis like in the 80's commercials for Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge lining the drive way and turrets! and a hedge of Miss Piggy topiaries.

Liberté, Fraternité....

Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped Colombian ex-reform party presidential candidate , was liberated last week, along with fifteen other hostages, from six years captivity at the hands of FARC. These recently freed hostages have been the FARC's major bargaining chips for a few years and the subjects of ongoing controversies––these were the hostages who Chavez was mediating talks about freeing between the Colombian military and the FARC. The official story is that the Colombian military rescued the hostages in an operation which involved soldiers disguised as FARC members and tricking the captives' guards into handing over the hostages to be taken to another FARC camp. There have been rumors circulating that the U.S. and Colombia secretly paid 20 million ransom for the hostages, although both U.S. and Colombian reps have vehemently denied that any ransom was paid.

Taking into account the usual bumbling incompetence of the Colombian military, it's difficult to pay no heed to these claims. Also, as I've stated here before, Colombia (as an unofficial colony of the U.S.) is a country so in tune with the vicissitudes of American politics that the release of these high-profile hostages could be connected to the upcoming regime-change here in the states. It's in right-wing president Alvaro Uribe's best interests that the Republicans win the 2008 elections. McCain visited Colombia July 1st (just two days before the release of the hostages) to promote the free-trade deal he's been trying to get approved by Congress (with strong opposition from Obama and other leading Democrats like Nancy Pelosi). McCain flew to the resort town of Cartagena to give a speech warning Colombia to clean up their (completely appalling) human rights record so that this free-trade deal could be passed. With so much of Colombia-U.S. relations being one extended p.r. campaign staged for the public to hide what deals are going on beneath the seamy surface, this really makes all parties involved look a little too photogenic.

Daughter of the Colombian oligarchy–Betancourt has gotten the lionshare of media attention since the hostages were freed because she was the most high-profile of the detainees, and her story has been particularly big in France. Betancourt is a citizen of both France and Colombia, due to her previous marriage to a French diplomat. On a visit to Paris to meet Sarkozy, Betancourt stated, “I owe everything to France. France is my home. You are my family.” Well, at least we know that she's still Colombian enough to consider herself French. The whole thing could not be any less maudlin.

So as to Avoid Anvils and Other Gravity-Ridden Things

The last time at the Met, (Friday) I pointed out a della Robbia in the lobby to Brandon, its flat graphic quality, white ceramic against blue glaze, Renaissance though no foreshortening or perspective, flat-backed sculptures for wall-mounting, the city-dwellers' art. A della Robbia fell from its place above an archway at the Met last night, suffering extensive damage, now New York Magazine has a blog post up on its website, "Are Met Exhibits Safe?" Broken Link. My boss' boss signs her e-mails informing staff of a foreshortened day "be safe." People, it seems, care less now, than ever, about freedom and peace, although who "people" are or when "ever" was or how "ever" came to be right now is unclear; I've been an adult only once. People do care, quite a lot about safety. Is safety equal to freedom; could she have signed her e-mail "be free." What kind of message would she be sending out with an exhortation to her workers to seek freedom?

THIS. IS. ME.

PISCES: Heaven is where we go when we die. Pisces, when you get there, it will be full of every drug imaginable, and no hangovers. There will be rainbows and small, really well made salads and soft, furry kittens that never get old. You will be able to collect whatever you want and distribute it among your friends, who will be there too. Everyone will loll around on many white pillows, and smile with unspoken gratitude for your generous presence because they will all be under the impression that heaven is something that you made happen specifically for them. The production design will be impeccable. There will be small, precious, delightfully surprising finishing touches on everything, even the drawer pulls. When you reach for a little mint candy pillow from the cut crystal bowl, you may be certain that there is no fecal matter on it. Dolly Parton will be there and let everyone take turns resting their heads on her bosom in between sets. Can we jump off a bridge together, Pisces?



from Philebrity horoscopes.

Latina Enough

Here is the audio file of the Latina Enough show, where I was interviewed by Arianna Martinez on Neighborhood Public Radio (installed at the Whitney) about being a Latina in the U.S. Latina Enough is a photo and interview documentary art project, where Latinas are asked five very simple but very revealing questions:

1) Do you consider yourself Latina? Why?

2) Has there ever been a time when you didn't feel Latina enough?

3) Describe a time when you felt too Latina.

4) What would you describe as your most Latina moment?

5) What if anything do you identify as [besides Latina]?

The interview was structured so that I would respond to a question and then clips of other respondents answers to the same questions were played, which was totally interesting for me because I got to hear the breadth of other Latina womens' experiences. I went into the project with a degree of fear and ambivalence because I couldn't honestly say that "Latina" would be a a label that I used to describe myself often or an identity that I felt like I fully owned, but in listening to some other womens' responses I heard a similar ambivalence towards the very fraught term "Latina," I heard my own dissonance and identification.

The final incarnation of Latina Enough is going to be an installation including audio of the interviews and photographs by Molly Stinchfield. More details to be announced.

p.s. in re-listening to my somewhat nervous yammering in that interview I heard the statement drop from my mouth that I started the Ladies' Misbehavior Society, which ignores the fact that the group was co-founded by Annie Maribona (fellow Latina) and Claire Sanberg. My deepest apologies in advance.

picture above from Nikki S. Lee's hispanic project