COVER -> MY GLASS HOUSE
When I tried to come up with one word for some the features we offer you this week, the first word that popped into my mind was "sumptuous." That does not mean that all that we have to offer this week is pleasant.
RENDT GORTER's latest contribution in "Letters from Chechnya" is heart-breaking.. I could not but read it with a sense of grave sorrow... There is so much suffering in this world of ours...
And then I felt outrage that I can find no other publication --- mainstream or alternative --- that is doing any serious focus on this war. Meanwhile, aid workers from around the globe are risking their lives to salvage the situation. Much like G21's coverage of the war in Kosovo, our reports from DRAGANA VICANOVICH in Belgrade, this is a very lonely time...
"The poor you will have always..." the saving goes. That doesn't mean that I, personally, have to like it. That doesn't mean that we should all turn a blind eye to injustice. If the world is ever to become the paradise it was intended to be, some of us have to step up to the plate.
I'm very proud, and we seem to be getting a bit more attention than usual, that we have retired Brigadier General RICHARD M. O'MEARA in IRISH EYES this week to report on the "Marching Days" in Northern Ireland. Gen. O'Meara was one of the international observers invited to report on the supposed peace in Northern Ireland. He provides an unvarnished perspective on the truth of that situation. This is a must-read for anyone concerned with human rights on our planet.
I highly recommend these two stories to you but --- like every week --- we have tried to offer you some of the best perspectives in the world. Enjoy the Feast!
Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch
This has been a year of big changes for me. I've stopped being a contractor and started being an employee again. I've jettisoned a number of long-standing friendships and began to form new ones. I've changed the focus and line-up of this Web magazine. When I thought about it this past week, I realized that I was in the process of re-inventing myself yet again.
That is part of being a "Butterfly Soul," as my old Internet pseud' used to be. In this Short Attention Span medium, unless you embrace change, you disappear. Or, as Woody Allen said in his film "Annie Hall:" "A relationship is like a shark. It either keeps moving forward or it dies..."
A couple of my co-workers at my Day Job, with Andover.net, one of my assistants, and one writer here have used the phrase "tough guy" to refer to me.
I'm mystified by this. I don't consider myself a very tough guy. I have to wonder why other people do.
I've come through some tough situations, but I consider that fact a combination of luck, (yes, a bit of guile) and a sense of humor... The fact is, I've always envied tough guys. I've always wished that I could join their special fraternity.
But, instead, I've been pounding keys all my life, working hard in order to support that habit, and trying to go on with one foot in front of the other.
I've been one of those dweebs who believes that 90% of the job is simply showing up every day. That's the only way I've produced this magazine for ten years. I just show up.
So now I sit listening to John Lennon's last album, ending this latest edition of the magazine, tired as usual, and hoping you will find something here that inspires or provokes you. Let me know...
THINGS THAT BOTHER ME THIS WEEK
1. The loneliness of the long distance runner...2. Getting it right next week, again.
3. Needing more music in my life.
4. Wanting to go out dancing.
Thanks for coming back this week.
"Work like you don't need the money,
"Love like you've never been hurt,
"Dance like no one is watching..."
Rod
ROD AMIS has published this magazine since 1990. It first appeared as a hardcopy 'Zine. In March, 1996, he launched it here on the Web. Rod was a Contributing Editor at Suite101.com, where he wrote the " 'Net Publishing" feature. His work has been featured in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Online, NRV8, and at WebLab's Reality Check site. Rod was also a contributing writer on technology for Faulkner Information Services.
Rod was a columnist for the Andover News Network, where he wrote over two hundred articles on web design and development issues. He is also principal writer and Editor for IT Manager's Journal, where he reviews technology issues weekly. He became the Managing Editor for Electronic Mail/Newsletter Publications at Andover.net at the end of February, 2000.
Our Editor does listen!