Maptalk-Digest Monday, December 23 2002 Volume 02 : Number 462
001 Letter to Times re: Chris Hedges forum (Re: 'Phish as Cult')
From: "Jack R. Lebowitz" <>
002 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: Herb <>
003 Re: 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: "Tom Angell" <>
004 Re: MAP: 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: "kim hanna" <>
005 Who Owns What
From: "Joshua Tinnin" <>
006 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 11:43:22 -0500
From: "J-White" <>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subj: 001 Letter to Times re: Chris Hedges forum (Re: 'Phish as Cult')
From: "Jack R. Lebowitz" <>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 09:51:04 -0500
For those who are interested in 'culture war' analogs to the WOD, I am
cross-posting some comments on a recent religion article in the New York
Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/16/nyregion/16DECA.html , which
essentially made Phish fans out to be cultists. The Times had a "one way"
forum Friday where they
asked the author Chris Hedges, some previously submitted questions,
including my variation on 'throwing stones from glass houses'.
I e-mailed this today to the moderator ("katetimes") of Friday's New York
Times forum with author Chris Hedges, regarding the article, and forum:
- --
Thank you and Mr. Hedges for your forum Friday, and for asking my question
regarding the Phish segment ("A Quest for Rapture").
Mr. Hedges' response, while not quite satisfying, struck me as a good deal
more introspective about 'rapture'/obsession than his original article.
I know you do not want to entertain any further tedious argument from angry
Phish fans, and suspect that, despite your suggestion, ''
doesn't either, having published no letters on the subject.
I would like, however, to express my regrets over the intemperate tone of
my questions, and probably of some other fans that wrote in. It probably
didn't help us get our point across, which if you'll please indulge me by
reading and not immediately deleting this, *and* perhaps sharing w/ Mr.
Hedges, is simply this:
The article was not good journalism, in that Mr. Hedges came to the subject
with a strong bias that most people who were 'into Phish' were not only
obsessed and seeking some impermissible rapture and 'religion substitute',
but further, that the band and subculture somehow 'encouraged' this.
For instance, he speaks of the "Gamehenge" (sic)/[1] songs "...where Mr.
Anastasio..can spend 90 minutes telling the audience elaborate tales...",
etc. without realizing that *most* fans and the band regard this song cycle
as essentially A JOKE, not a sacred text. A JOKE in the sense of a playful
takeoff on myths or fables in an over-the-top, whimsical fashion (think
C.S. Lewis), as the 'maguffin' for some song lyrics. A 'joke' in the sense
of nonsense scat lyrics in jazz or swing. A joke in the sense that Bob
Dobbs and the Church of the Subgenius is a PARODY of fundamentalist
Christianity, not something like the 'real' Branch Dividians.
Only the sadly unbalanced folks Mr. Hedges went looking for think that
Gamehendge is serious. The bumper sticker cited was a joke too...I doubt
ANY fans were seriously dashing their Trey idols to the ground when the
band decided to take a 'hiatus'.
Mr. Hedges looks like a very serious person, with his interests in
theology, his former war correspondence work where he saw some of the most
sobering stuff you'll probably see, and so forth. I respect his experience
and world view. But his assuming obsessive behavior motivates all Phish
fans to some degree, where he admittedly went looking for only the most
unbalanced people to make his point, while remaining totally ignorant of
basic 'context', is what led to my 'hatchet job' characterization, which
sadly I must stand by.
He's not the first to do this with respect to Phish fans. The film
"Bittersweet Motel" did that as well. But that's kind of like doing a film
about a couple of depraved squeegee-men and claiming it represents life in
New York City. That's my point.
Lastly, with respect to issues of journalism, Mr. Hedges' article must also
be judged against the 'context' of the Times' (Abe Rosenthal's)
cheerleading over the past decade for the repressive and shameful drug laws
of this country which have been a tool of right-wing culture war against
activities such as raves and Dead/Phish shows...it's a biased article in a
biased medium, in other words.
Thank you for reading this and letting me express another thought about
this series.
J
[1]/ Misspelled, tsk, tsk, there are $15 books about Phish that could have
been fact-checked, we published one (The Phish Companion). The song
cycle's "GamehenDge", with a "d".
------------------------------
Subj: 002 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: Herb <>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 08:23:54 -0800
MAPstars,
I was looking at the Help DrugSense thermometre at
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/
Wild and Crazy idea #1
According to an article "Rock and roll knows no age" in the Vancouver Sun,
December 21, 2002:
"Sir Paul McCartney was the top touring artist in the world for 2002,
raking in $126.1 million, according to Billboard Boxscores. All figures
were calculated in US dollars."
Surely, Paul would donate to a worthy cause like DrugSense.
Herb
------------------------------
Subj: 003 Re: 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: "Tom Angell" <>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 15:42:30 -0500
On that note,
I've been wondering lately: why don't DPR org's have huge celebrity
endorsement? Think about it: a lot of other non-profits/social change
organizations have clebrity endorsers that bring them LOTS of exposure and
monetary support.
As an example, medical marijuana org's should have all the celebrities at
http://www.ahemp.org/WHO.html appear in public service announcements, which
could be encoded into mp3, e-mailed en masse, burned onto CDs, and
distributed to local and college radio stations by activists. So easy. Why
isn't it happening?
Who should be writing to these celebrities? The Executive Directors of
marijuana reform org's, I guess. Kampia? Stroup? people from ASA? Shawn
from SSDP? Should I work on writing a grant request to MPP?
Thoughts????
Peace,
Tom
SSDP Board
URI SSDP
http://members.cox.net/urissdp
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Herb" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 11:23 AM
Subject: MAP: "so you say you want a big donation"
> MAPstars,
>
> I was looking at the Help DrugSense thermometre at
> http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/
>
> Wild and Crazy idea #1
>
> According to an article "Rock and roll knows no age" in the Vancouver Sun,
> December 21, 2002:
>
> "Sir Paul McCartney was the top touring artist in the world for 2002,
> raking in $126.1 million, according to Billboard Boxscores. All figures
> were calculated in US dollars."
>
> Surely, Paul would donate to a worthy cause like DrugSense.
>
> Herb
>
>
------------------------------
Subj: 004 Re: MAP: 'so you say you want a big donation'
From: "kim hanna" <>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 17:48:13 -0500
When I was withMassCann.org doing the Boston Freedom Rally, I wrote
to his contact in NY city and asked if Paul would consider doing a music
segment, to reform the marijuana laws. I never did hear, so I can only guess
he's not that political.
John was the political one. That's why Nixon wanted him out of the country
and tried to have him deported. Too bad it did'nt work or
John might still be alive.
Kim
=========
- ----Original Message Follows----
From: Herb <>
Reply-To: Herb <>
To:
Subject: MAP: "so you say you want a big donation"
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 08:23:54 -0800
MAPstars,
I was looking at the Help DrugSense thermometre at
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/
Wild and Crazy idea #1
According to an article "Rock and roll knows no age" in the Vancouver Sun,
December 21, 2002:
"Sir Paul McCartney was the top touring artist in the world for 2002, raking
in $126.1 million, according to Billboard Boxscores. All figures were
calculated in US dollars."
Surely, Paul would donate to a worthy cause like DrugSense.
Herb
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 3 months FREE*.
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------------------------------
Subj: 005 Who Owns What
From: "Joshua Tinnin" <>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 16:24:58 -0800
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/mediacarta/toolbox/who_owns/
Who Owns What
Currently, the realm of television in its entirety is controlled by 6-7
mega-corporations in the U.S. and strongly dominated by three worldwide.
When only a few players run the most powerful medium of our time with the
same agenda, the small fry (read: you and I) are shut out of the
culture-making process.
In the face of increasing homogenization, we incite you to join the Two
Minute Media Revolution - a collective demand that broadcasters set aside
two minutes of airtime every hour for citizen-produced advocacy messages.
Find out who's big and what they own
- -----
GENERAL ELECTRIC
Television Holdings:
* NBC: includes 13 stations, 28% of US households.
* NBC Network News: The Today Show, Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Meet the
Press, Dateline NBC, NBC News at Sunrise.
* CNBC business television; MSNBC 24-hour cable and Internet news service
(co-owned by NBC and Microsoft); Court TV (co-owned with Time Warner), Bravo
(50%), A&E (25%), History Channel (25%).
Other Holdings:
* GE Consumer Electronics.
* GE Power Systems: produces turbines for nuclear reactors and power plants.
* GE Plastics: produces military hardware and nuclear power equipment.
* GE Transportation Systems: runs diesel and electric trains.
WESTINGHOUSE / CBS INC.
Television Holdings:
* CBS: includes 14 stations and over 200 affiliates in the US.
* CBS Network News: 60 minutes, 48 hours, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather,
CBS Morning News, Up to the Minute.
* Country Music Television, The Nashville Network, 2 regional sports
networks.
* Group W Satellite Communications.
Other Holdings:
* Westinghouse Electric Company: provides services to the nuclear power
industry.
* Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company: disposes of
nuclear and hazardous wastes. Also operates 4 government-owned nuclear power
plants in the US.
* Energy Systems: provides nuclear power plant design and maintenance.
VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.
Television Holdings:
* Paramount Television, Spelling Television, MTV, VH-1, Showtime, The Movie
Channel, UPN (joint owner), Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Sundance Channel
(joint owner), Flix.
* 20 major market US stations.
Media Holdings:
* Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Video, Blockbuster Video, Famous
Players Theatres, Paramount Parks.
* Simon & Schuster Publishing.
DISNEY / ABC / CAP
Television Holdings:
* ABC: includes 10 stations, 24% of US households.
* ABC Network News: Prime Time Live, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America.
* ESPN, Lifetime Television (50%), as well as minority holdings in A&E,
History Channel and E!
* Disney Channel/Disney Television, Touchtone Television.
Media Holdings:
* Miramax, Touchtone Pictures.
* Magazines: Jane, Los Angeles Magazine, W, Discover.
* 3 music labels, 11 major local newspapers.
* Hyperion book publishers.
* Infoseek Internet search engine (43%).
Other Holdings:
* Sid R. Bass (major shares) crude oil and gas.
* All Disney Theme Parks, Walt Disney Cruise Lines.
TIME-WARNER TBS - AOL
America Online (AOL) acquired Time Warner-the largest merger in corporate
history.
Television Holdings:
* CNN, HBO, Cinemax, TBS Superstation, Turner Network Television, Turner
Classic Movies, Warner Brothers Television, Cartoon Network, Sega Channel,
TNT, Comedy Central (50%), E! (49%), Court TV (50%).
* Largest owner of cable systems in the US with an estimated 13 million
subscribers.
Media Holdings:
* HBO Independent Productions, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, Castle
Rock, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera.
* Music: Atlantic, Elektra, Rhino, Sire, Warner Bros. Records, EMI, WEA, Sub
Pop (distribution) = the world's largest music company.
* 33 magazines including Time, Sports Illustrated, People, In Style,
Fortune, Book of the Month Club, Entertainment Weekly, Life, DC Comics
(50%), and MAD Magazine.
Other Holdings:
* Sports: The Atlanta Braves, The Atlanta Hawks, World Championship
Wrestling.
NEWS CORPORATION LTD. / FOX NETWORKS (Rupert Murdoch)
Television Holdings:
* Fox Television: includes 22 stations, 50% of US households.
* Fox International: extensive worldwide cable and satellite networks
include British Sky Broadcasting (40%); VOX, Germany (49.9%); Canal Fox,
Latin America; FOXTEL, Australia (50%); STAR TV, Asia; IskyB, India; Bahasa
Programming Ltd., Indonesia (50%); and News Broadcasting, Japan (80%).
* The Golf Channel (33%).
Media Holdings:
* Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight.
* 132 newspapers (113 in Australia alone) including the New York Post, the
London Times and The Australian.
* 25 magazines including TV Guide and The Weekly Standard.
* HarperCollins books.
Other Holdings:
* Sports: LA Dodgers, LA Kings, LA Lakers, National Rugby League.
* Ansett Australia airlines, Ansett New Zealand airlines.
* Rupert Murdoch: Board of Directors, Philip Morris (USA).
------------------------------
Subj: 006 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 11:43:22 -0500
From: "J-White" <>
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 08:40:11 -0800
Richard, Mappers,
The Wausau Daily Herald is now using a webform for submiting LTE's and the
MAP DB needs to be updated to reflect this.
Website
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/
MAP media details
http://www.mapinc.org/media/1321
New Webform
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/contactus/readerservices/letter_to_ed
html
Peace and happy holidays to all!
Jim W.
------------------------------
End of Maptalk-Digest V02 #462
******************************
Mark Greer () ___ ___ _ _ _ _
Media Awareness Project /' _ ` _ `\ /'_`)('_`\
P. O. Box 651 | ( ) ( ) |( (_| || (_) )
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URL: http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ (_)
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