We had a great turnout tonight! I'd like to thank Dianne Borsenik, Christopher Franke, T.M. Göttl, Sarah Lambert, and Jen Pezzo for coming out and reading tonight, and a huge THANK YOU to Geoffrey Landis and Mary Turzillo for being tonight's featured authors.
The wonder of modern technology also allowed Katherine Zaleski to read at the open-mic, while she was in Philadelphia, PA. This wasn't something I planned, but during the night's readings the idea of a "long-distance open-mic," a poet reading over the phone to the live audience, clicked in my mind. I might try this again in the future. Thanks, Kathy!!!
The next Poet's Haven open-mic event is coming right up on November 1, at Muggswigz in Canton. This one's a Halloween event. A camera will be rolling to capture any poets who come in costume for a special video edition of the podcast.
I'm looking forward to getting started on the podcasts from tonight's show... just as soon as I get a few hours sleep. :-) The first episode including tonight's readings should be online by Monday, November 3.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Vertigo Xi'an Xavier
publisher, The Poet's Haven
http://www.PoetsHaven.com
October 25, 2008
October 24, 2008
My Letter to the GOP
FYI: The spam e-mail this was in response to was sent to my old "CDIdesign.com" e-mail address, the one I used when I designed websites for companies in the world of auto racing.
********************************************************************
I'm kind of curious as to how I, a registered DEMOCRAT whose political views include Socialist reform, ended up on the GOP's spam list? The only thing I can think of is that because I use this e-mail address to do business in the world of auto racing, you assume I must be a redneck (which I may well be), and therefore assume I must vote Republican (which I certainly do not). It has been entertaining seeing what new out-of-context misdirections and even outright lies your campaign wishes to spread. This whole "Joe the Plumber" thing has been hilarious. How am I like "Joe the Plumber?" Well, I am NOT. See, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because I am not working a day-job that requires a license without having said license. See, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because while I may write and publish under a pseudonym, when it comes to my day-job, I use my real name. Hell, even in my publishing work, when it comes to money, I use my real name. And see, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because I actually pay my taxes.
"Spread the wealth" does not mean taking your rich buddies' money away and giving it all to poor people, no strings attached. It means fixing it so that this country can once again have a strong middle-class. Right now, 5% of this nation's people control 95% of the nation's wealth. 1% of this nation's people control 90% of the wealth. The last eight years have seen to it that this country no longer has a middle-class. There's the obscenely rich, and then there's the rest of us, struggling poor. This has to end.
How do we "spread the wealth?" We stop giving tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas. They want a tax break, they have to hire American workers. Plain and simple. The more new, full-time jobs a fortune-500 company creates, the bigger tax break they become eligible for.
How do we "spread the wealth?" We close the loopholes that allow the richest people to pay a smaller percentage in taxes than the rest of us. These loopholes are commonly called the "Bush tax cuts."
How do we "spread the wealth?" By getting this country's head out of its ass regarding socializing health care. Even Barack Obama is wrong on this issue. This is the ONLY western country that does not socialize health care. I am a type-1 diabetic. I have private health insurance through my day-job. The insurance is the only reason I have to work my day-job and the need for the insurance is the thing that keeps me from living my American dream of being able to run my own business full-time. Even with my private insurance, my out-of-pocket expenses for my insulin, syringes, lancets, and test strips comes to over $240 a month. Three years ago, my out-of-pocket expense was less than $120 a month, and that was taking a newer, more effective yet more expensive type of insulin. Last year, the copay for that insulin went up so high (over a $200 copay for a one month supply) that I had to change to a less effective alternative. The cost of this insulin has not changed over the last three years, as a matter of fact it is cheaper now than it was three years ago. What my "wonderful" private insurance provider is willing to cover has changed. The private insurance industry needs to be shut down. The government already has the best and most cost-effective insurance program in place. It is called Medicare. It needs to be expanded to cover everyone. The increase in taxes this would require would be FAR LESS than what both I and my employer pay to the private insurance companies. C'mon, America, time for that rectal-cranial separation.
Sincerely,
Chris Draime
also known as Vertigo Xi'an Xavier
owner, The Poet's Haven
registered Democrat, state of Ohio
> Team,
>
> We're now 11 days out from Election Day and I wanted to give you an
> important campaign update.
>
> An Associated Press headline said the other day that this race is "All
> even in the homestretch." All indicators point to this race coming down to
> the wire, so it's extremely important to reach out to undecided voters -
> the key to winning this election. The election is in your hands and I'm
> asking you to make the case to undecided voters for John McCain and Sarah
> Palin. Here's what you should tell them...
>
> Instead of spreading wealth around, John McCain and Sarah Palin will
> spread opportunity.
>
> Recently in Ohio, Senator Obama finally broke down and famously told "Joe
> the Plumber" that his economic plan is to, "spread the wealth around." Joe
> is working hard to realize the American dream, as are millions of other
> people who work hard, pay taxes and dream of owning a small business one
> day. Barack Obama will raise taxes on hardworking Americans to give a
> government handout to the 40% of Americans who pay no income taxes.
>
> Thanks to "Joe the Plumber," voters are starting to see the clear
> difference between John McCain and Barack Obama on taxes. Joe's story is
> your story ... the story of hard work and the American dream. "Joe the
> Plumber" isn't just one man in Ohio ... it's every person in America with
> hopes, dreams and the desire to work hard with the opportunity to succeed.
>
> John McCain and Sarah Palin have an economic plan that celebrates the
> American dream of opportunity, not government giveaways. In this country,
> we believe in spreading opportunity, for those who need jobs and those who
> create them. That's why their economic plan - Jobs for America - is so
> important for the American people in this time of economic crisis.
>
> While Barack Obama is ready to "spread the wealth around," John McCain has
> a plan to get our economy moving so everyone has access to good jobs, a
> quality education and the opportunity to succeed.
>
> John McCain and Sarah Palin don't just talk about change ... they deliver.
>
> This election is certainly about change - there's no doubt about it. But
> that's why we're talking to voters about the difference between lower
> taxes and the opportunity to work hard for the American dream ... or
> higher taxes and government giveaways with Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
>
> You can trust John McCain and Sarah Palin because they are the real deal;
> reformers with a record who stand by their words and will always put their
> country first.
>
> Time and time again this team of mavericks has stood up, taken on tough
> issues and delivered. They're the real deal. They have a clear record that
> can deliver results, not just rhetoric that delivers votes.
>
> In the last 11 days of this campaign, we want voters to hear the story of
> "Joe the Plumber" to understand the important differences between John
> McCain and Barack Obama. Please take a minute today to watch videos
> submitted to our "I'm Joe the Plumber" video contest to see how people all
> across America recognize that they too are Joe the Plumber. Then forward
> this message to your friends with a personal message about why you're like
> Joe the Plumber and why you are supporting John McCain and Sarah Palin on
> Election Day.
>
> Thanks,
> Rick Davis
> Campaign Manager, McCain-Palin 2008
>
>
>
>
> Please visit this page if you want to remove yourself from the email list.
>
> Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008
>
>
>
********************************************************************
I'm kind of curious as to how I, a registered DEMOCRAT whose political views include Socialist reform, ended up on the GOP's spam list? The only thing I can think of is that because I use this e-mail address to do business in the world of auto racing, you assume I must be a redneck (which I may well be), and therefore assume I must vote Republican (which I certainly do not). It has been entertaining seeing what new out-of-context misdirections and even outright lies your campaign wishes to spread. This whole "Joe the Plumber" thing has been hilarious. How am I like "Joe the Plumber?" Well, I am NOT. See, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because I am not working a day-job that requires a license without having said license. See, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because while I may write and publish under a pseudonym, when it comes to my day-job, I use my real name. Hell, even in my publishing work, when it comes to money, I use my real name. And see, I am NOT like "Joe the Plumber" because I actually pay my taxes.
"Spread the wealth" does not mean taking your rich buddies' money away and giving it all to poor people, no strings attached. It means fixing it so that this country can once again have a strong middle-class. Right now, 5% of this nation's people control 95% of the nation's wealth. 1% of this nation's people control 90% of the wealth. The last eight years have seen to it that this country no longer has a middle-class. There's the obscenely rich, and then there's the rest of us, struggling poor. This has to end.
How do we "spread the wealth?" We stop giving tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas. They want a tax break, they have to hire American workers. Plain and simple. The more new, full-time jobs a fortune-500 company creates, the bigger tax break they become eligible for.
How do we "spread the wealth?" We close the loopholes that allow the richest people to pay a smaller percentage in taxes than the rest of us. These loopholes are commonly called the "Bush tax cuts."
How do we "spread the wealth?" By getting this country's head out of its ass regarding socializing health care. Even Barack Obama is wrong on this issue. This is the ONLY western country that does not socialize health care. I am a type-1 diabetic. I have private health insurance through my day-job. The insurance is the only reason I have to work my day-job and the need for the insurance is the thing that keeps me from living my American dream of being able to run my own business full-time. Even with my private insurance, my out-of-pocket expenses for my insulin, syringes, lancets, and test strips comes to over $240 a month. Three years ago, my out-of-pocket expense was less than $120 a month, and that was taking a newer, more effective yet more expensive type of insulin. Last year, the copay for that insulin went up so high (over a $200 copay for a one month supply) that I had to change to a less effective alternative. The cost of this insulin has not changed over the last three years, as a matter of fact it is cheaper now than it was three years ago. What my "wonderful" private insurance provider is willing to cover has changed. The private insurance industry needs to be shut down. The government already has the best and most cost-effective insurance program in place. It is called Medicare. It needs to be expanded to cover everyone. The increase in taxes this would require would be FAR LESS than what both I and my employer pay to the private insurance companies. C'mon, America, time for that rectal-cranial separation.
Sincerely,
Chris Draime
also known as Vertigo Xi'an Xavier
owner, The Poet's Haven
registered Democrat, state of Ohio
> Team,
>
> We're now 11 days out from Election Day and I wanted to give you an
> important campaign update.
>
> An Associated Press headline said the other day that this race is "All
> even in the homestretch." All indicators point to this race coming down to
> the wire, so it's extremely important to reach out to undecided voters -
> the key to winning this election. The election is in your hands and I'm
> asking you to make the case to undecided voters for John McCain and Sarah
> Palin. Here's what you should tell them...
>
> Instead of spreading wealth around, John McCain and Sarah Palin will
> spread opportunity.
>
> Recently in Ohio, Senator Obama finally broke down and famously told "Joe
> the Plumber" that his economic plan is to, "spread the wealth around." Joe
> is working hard to realize the American dream, as are millions of other
> people who work hard, pay taxes and dream of owning a small business one
> day. Barack Obama will raise taxes on hardworking Americans to give a
> government handout to the 40% of Americans who pay no income taxes.
>
> Thanks to "Joe the Plumber," voters are starting to see the clear
> difference between John McCain and Barack Obama on taxes. Joe's story is
> your story ... the story of hard work and the American dream. "Joe the
> Plumber" isn't just one man in Ohio ... it's every person in America with
> hopes, dreams and the desire to work hard with the opportunity to succeed.
>
> John McCain and Sarah Palin have an economic plan that celebrates the
> American dream of opportunity, not government giveaways. In this country,
> we believe in spreading opportunity, for those who need jobs and those who
> create them. That's why their economic plan - Jobs for America - is so
> important for the American people in this time of economic crisis.
>
> While Barack Obama is ready to "spread the wealth around," John McCain has
> a plan to get our economy moving so everyone has access to good jobs, a
> quality education and the opportunity to succeed.
>
> John McCain and Sarah Palin don't just talk about change ... they deliver.
>
> This election is certainly about change - there's no doubt about it. But
> that's why we're talking to voters about the difference between lower
> taxes and the opportunity to work hard for the American dream ... or
> higher taxes and government giveaways with Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
>
> You can trust John McCain and Sarah Palin because they are the real deal;
> reformers with a record who stand by their words and will always put their
> country first.
>
> Time and time again this team of mavericks has stood up, taken on tough
> issues and delivered. They're the real deal. They have a clear record that
> can deliver results, not just rhetoric that delivers votes.
>
> In the last 11 days of this campaign, we want voters to hear the story of
> "Joe the Plumber" to understand the important differences between John
> McCain and Barack Obama. Please take a minute today to watch videos
> submitted to our "I'm Joe the Plumber" video contest to see how people all
> across America recognize that they too are Joe the Plumber. Then forward
> this message to your friends with a personal message about why you're like
> Joe the Plumber and why you are supporting John McCain and Sarah Palin on
> Election Day.
>
> Thanks,
> Rick Davis
> Campaign Manager, McCain-Palin 2008
>
>
>
>
> Please visit this page if you want to remove yourself from the email list.
>
> Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008
>
>
>
October 18, 2008
FEEDBACK NEEDED: new bookmarks
I'm on the final batch of Poet's Haven bookmarks, and will be getting new ones printed soon. I've decided to redesign them, so that rather than using clip art images (even clip art images that I customized), we have one design that uses my graffiti cat logo. These are going to get used for some more... guerrilla style promotional campaigns than what The Poet's Haven has used thusfar. (This is something I'll be asking for some street team help to implement. More on this later.) I'd like to know what y'all think of this design. Is the rotating text distracting, or does it work? Is there a better way to word things? Should I include anything else on here? Things like that. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Thanks!
--VX
Thanks!
--VX
September 25, 2008
WHOTTA DAY! Show cancellations, new booking, more...
These are the kinds of days that you wish you could just hit the RESET button on...
Okay, the two open-mics I just announced a few days ago at After Dark have both been canceled. Blame the state of Ohio for not renewing the club's liquor license. They are closing down after this weekend. I can't be pissed at anyone at the club, I do know enough of what had been going on there before I booked July's open-mic. The owners are great people, and Paula, the manager as long as I've been going to the club, is wonderful. I'm hopeful that the issues that caused all this to happen will be cleared up soon and they can reopen next year. I don't know that that'll happen, but I can hope.
But anyway, that leaves me with two holes in the open-mic schedule...
I'm still working on finding another venue for the November 15 show. I would like to have a show on that same date, however it may not be in the Summit County area. I've got several possibilities in mind.
October 18 is off the table. It is too close to effectively promote a show. October 25, however, is still four weeks away.
There will be a Saturday Night With The Poet's Haven open-mic at the Angel Falls Coffee Company, 792 West Market Street in Akron, OH on October 25 at 8:00 PM. This will be an
event.
Yes, I realize that this means there will be Poet's Haven open-mic event two weeks in a row! Yes, I realize that this will start me on a path to crash and burn. Ya know what? After the December 6 show, we're done for the year. The next date I'm working on booking isn't until late January. I can get my head back on straight over the holidays. Then again, maybe not. LOL
Also, today's events put me behind on completing the next podcast. It'll go online as soon as I have it completed, but it most likely will not be up on Saturday. I'll try to get it as close to finished tomorrow as possible, but after my day job (which I have to be up for in less than five hours), I don't know how strong my brain will be working. I already had things scheduled to do all day Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon, so I may not be able to complete the podcast until Sunday night.
More will come as I can get things finalized. Stay tuned...
Okay, the two open-mics I just announced a few days ago at After Dark have both been canceled. Blame the state of Ohio for not renewing the club's liquor license. They are closing down after this weekend. I can't be pissed at anyone at the club, I do know enough of what had been going on there before I booked July's open-mic. The owners are great people, and Paula, the manager as long as I've been going to the club, is wonderful. I'm hopeful that the issues that caused all this to happen will be cleared up soon and they can reopen next year. I don't know that that'll happen, but I can hope.
But anyway, that leaves me with two holes in the open-mic schedule...
I'm still working on finding another venue for the November 15 show. I would like to have a show on that same date, however it may not be in the Summit County area. I've got several possibilities in mind.
October 18 is off the table. It is too close to effectively promote a show. October 25, however, is still four weeks away.
There will be a Saturday Night With The Poet's Haven open-mic at the Angel Falls Coffee Company, 792 West Market Street in Akron, OH on October 25 at 8:00 PM. This will be an
event.Yes, I realize that this means there will be Poet's Haven open-mic event two weeks in a row! Yes, I realize that this will start me on a path to crash and burn. Ya know what? After the December 6 show, we're done for the year. The next date I'm working on booking isn't until late January. I can get my head back on straight over the holidays. Then again, maybe not. LOL
Also, today's events put me behind on completing the next podcast. It'll go online as soon as I have it completed, but it most likely will not be up on Saturday. I'll try to get it as close to finished tomorrow as possible, but after my day job (which I have to be up for in less than five hours), I don't know how strong my brain will be working. I already had things scheduled to do all day Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon, so I may not be able to complete the podcast until Sunday night.
More will come as I can get things finalized. Stay tuned...
September 20, 2008
I just secured two Saturday Night With The Poet's Haven bookings at Lake Anna After Dark in Barberton, OH!!! The Poet's Haven will be taking over the "time slot" of this club's monthly poetry nights on October 18 and November 15. (The regular event coordinator and emcee is taking time off to have a baby.) Both these shows will have 7:00 PM start-times and be 
. I'll post fliers and announce featured poets/performers as soon as I get them scheduled.
These fill the calendar of dates I wanted to book for the remainder of 2008! (There is a slim possibility of one more show, but booking the October 18 date fills the "late October" spot I was trying to finalize. If the café I was trying to book a show at does call me back, I may still offer them 10/25, but I'll more likely push them into 2009.)
FYI: October 18 is "Sweetest Day." This means we have open-mics on both Sweetest Day (at After Dark) and Valentine's Day (at the Phoenix Café in South Euclid)!
Stay tuned, space cowboys!
--VX
. I'll post fliers and announce featured poets/performers as soon as I get them scheduled.These fill the calendar of dates I wanted to book for the remainder of 2008! (There is a slim possibility of one more show, but booking the October 18 date fills the "late October" spot I was trying to finalize. If the café I was trying to book a show at does call me back, I may still offer them 10/25, but I'll more likely push them into 2009.)
FYI: October 18 is "Sweetest Day." This means we have open-mics on both Sweetest Day (at After Dark) and Valentine's Day (at the Phoenix Café in South Euclid)!
Stay tuned, space cowboys!
--VX
September 13, 2008
PoetsHaven.com 2001 vs. 2008... Be Frightened...
After receiving an e-mail from someone who did not remember submitting poems to the site (in early 2001, I still have his original e-mail archived), I found myself looking at an archive.org copy of the site from more than seven years ago. This was from before 9/11 happened, before the site found itself collapsing under hundreds of submissions every week from inexperienced poets who were jumping on the poetry bandwagon as this nation struggled to deal with its newfound rage and grief. This was before the site had to be closed to submissions and rewritten from the ground up thanks to the sudden closing of our original host server, basic page formatting that was written exclusively for the original host server and was not compatible with any new host, and an update system that could not be maintained under the surge of traffic and submissions that the site had begun receiving.
It was a very different time, back then. I've always been very hands-on in building the site. Even today, while I may not have written the programs that operate the site, I have read through every script and studied every line of code to make sure it all operates the way I want it to. But back then, the pages were created in Notepad (with occasional help from Netscape Composer). Each page was its own creation, hand-crafted to take the reader on a journey through various emotions.
Comparing the site then to today, the best analogy I can come up with is this: PoetsHaven.com 2008 is like the perfect cake bought at the best bakery in town. It is nearly perfect. The edges are straight, the frosting is even, and the decorations are photo-realistic. PoetsHaven.com 2001 (and earlier) is like the homemade cake. Some parts are thinner than others, but where the cake dips you get a thick gob of rich icing. It's sometimes imperfect, but heart went in to every bite.
The site is drastically more professional today. While I would certainly never go back to running the site the way it was run back then, there are aspects of it I miss. Back then, I could name every poem and author I had ever published. I could even recite a good 40 to 50 percent of the poems on the site. Today, I find myself unable to remember how to spell the name of a writer I only published a few weeks ago, and unable to remember the titles of the poems I published by that author. I no longer have the personal connection with every item I publish. I review the work, decide if I want to publish it or not, and then click "Accept" or "Delete." In the drive for professionalism and efficiency, have I lost the key aspect that made the site my labor of love for the art? Is my professional detachment from the work being published part of what is driving me to build a new, more personal experience with the Poet's Haven open-mic events and the podcasts?
Check it out for yourself:
PoetsHaven.com 2001
PoetsHaven.com 2008
My mind is still racing, and now I want to go bake a cake...
--VX
It was a very different time, back then. I've always been very hands-on in building the site. Even today, while I may not have written the programs that operate the site, I have read through every script and studied every line of code to make sure it all operates the way I want it to. But back then, the pages were created in Notepad (with occasional help from Netscape Composer). Each page was its own creation, hand-crafted to take the reader on a journey through various emotions.
Comparing the site then to today, the best analogy I can come up with is this: PoetsHaven.com 2008 is like the perfect cake bought at the best bakery in town. It is nearly perfect. The edges are straight, the frosting is even, and the decorations are photo-realistic. PoetsHaven.com 2001 (and earlier) is like the homemade cake. Some parts are thinner than others, but where the cake dips you get a thick gob of rich icing. It's sometimes imperfect, but heart went in to every bite.
The site is drastically more professional today. While I would certainly never go back to running the site the way it was run back then, there are aspects of it I miss. Back then, I could name every poem and author I had ever published. I could even recite a good 40 to 50 percent of the poems on the site. Today, I find myself unable to remember how to spell the name of a writer I only published a few weeks ago, and unable to remember the titles of the poems I published by that author. I no longer have the personal connection with every item I publish. I review the work, decide if I want to publish it or not, and then click "Accept" or "Delete." In the drive for professionalism and efficiency, have I lost the key aspect that made the site my labor of love for the art? Is my professional detachment from the work being published part of what is driving me to build a new, more personal experience with the Poet's Haven open-mic events and the podcasts?
Check it out for yourself:
PoetsHaven.com 2001
PoetsHaven.com 2008
My mind is still racing, and now I want to go bake a cake...
--VX
September 7, 2008
Scribbles Open-Mic Results...
It was a pretty good night at Scribbles Café in Kent.
Dakota Kincer played some tunes, not all of which will be in the podcast. ("Myself and I" was previously featured in the podcast, and his cover of Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" cannot be used due to licensing restrictions. This is why you gotta be there!)
A handful of talented poets read, including a pretty amazing NINE year old girl! While I have knowingly published writers as young as 11 on PoetsHaven.com, young Miss Campbell Budzar is certainly the youngest poet to have read original work for the podcast.
Just a side note: This is why, despite the number of venues The Poet's Haven is scheduling "yellow" unmoderated events with (as well as a few adults-only "red" shows), we will still have "green" moderated events from time to time. I've always taken pride in The Poet's Haven's openness to young poets who are just getting started in "the scene." The "green" shows not only allow poets with families to perform in front of their kids, they also allow the youngest writers a chance to share their work.
It will be a few weeks before any of tonight's (or last night's, depending on how you interpret the clock) material will be featured in the podcast. The next two weeks will see more material from the August 23 Phoenix show, including John "Jesus Crisis" Burroughs, Parker Amsel, Robin Crawford, and more.
Plenty more shows are in the works. I've got something cooking for mid-October that I'll be announcing as soon as the details are worked out. November 1st will be the special Halloween event at Muggswigz in Canton, OH. Something else may be happening later in November, as well. December 6, we will return to the Phoenix in South Euclid for the first of three open-mics booked there, the others coming up in February and May. Several other gigs are being lined up for the first half of 2009 that I cannot yet reveal.
Stay tuned, space cowboys!
--VX
Dakota Kincer played some tunes, not all of which will be in the podcast. ("Myself and I" was previously featured in the podcast, and his cover of Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" cannot be used due to licensing restrictions. This is why you gotta be there!)
A handful of talented poets read, including a pretty amazing NINE year old girl! While I have knowingly published writers as young as 11 on PoetsHaven.com, young Miss Campbell Budzar is certainly the youngest poet to have read original work for the podcast.
Just a side note: This is why, despite the number of venues The Poet's Haven is scheduling "yellow" unmoderated events with (as well as a few adults-only "red" shows), we will still have "green" moderated events from time to time. I've always taken pride in The Poet's Haven's openness to young poets who are just getting started in "the scene." The "green" shows not only allow poets with families to perform in front of their kids, they also allow the youngest writers a chance to share their work.
It will be a few weeks before any of tonight's (or last night's, depending on how you interpret the clock) material will be featured in the podcast. The next two weeks will see more material from the August 23 Phoenix show, including John "Jesus Crisis" Burroughs, Parker Amsel, Robin Crawford, and more.
Plenty more shows are in the works. I've got something cooking for mid-October that I'll be announcing as soon as the details are worked out. November 1st will be the special Halloween event at Muggswigz in Canton, OH. Something else may be happening later in November, as well. December 6, we will return to the Phoenix in South Euclid for the first of three open-mics booked there, the others coming up in February and May. Several other gigs are being lined up for the first half of 2009 that I cannot yet reveal.
Stay tuned, space cowboys!
--VX
September 4, 2008
Vertigo on Politics...
Anybody who has visited my profile on MySpace has probably noticed that I've got "Obama for President" at the top of my "friends" list. Anybody who knew me offline four years ago saw the Kerry / Edwards stickers all over my car. It's no secret that I'm pretty much a true-blue liberal. Sure, I differ with the Dems on quite a few issues. (For a big one, I believe abortion is murder. However, I do not want to see it made illegal, just unnecessary thanks to widely and freely available birth control. I also think most of the new Dems elected to Congress two years ago have proven themselves to be a bunch of worthless, spineless pussies who are too afraid to speak the truth and stand up against the Executive Idiot and his puppet masters.)
That said, I'm about to admit to something surprising. Eight years ago, I voted for Bush. Yeah, yeah, I know, stop screaming... Lemme explain... See, out of all the inalienable rights I hold true and dear, the ones I believe are the most important are those guaranteed by the First Amendment. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of the Press. Freedom of Assembly. Freedom of Religion. (Bet ya thought you'd never see me capitalize THAT word!) And no matter how much I knew Darth Bush and Emperor Cheney getting elected would fuck up this country on a financial level, I could not bring myself to vote for Al Gore, champion of censorship in music, and especially Joe Lieberman, champion of censorship in EVERYTHING (most notably video games and film). Nobody could have expected something like 9/11/2001 to give the reds free reign to throw out any rights they didn't see the need for. (Ya know, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Eighth Amendment...)
That said, here's what frightens me now. Since John McPain (who I wouldn't have minded 8 years ago, but like the Dems the past two years, he has spent two Bush terms being a spineless follower, NOT the "maverick" his campaign wants us to think of him as) announced his VP candidate last week, we've seen plenty of stories about her political record (and about how little a record it is) in Alaska. Out of it all, one very frightening detail jumps out at me. To quote Time Magazine:
That said, I'm about to admit to something surprising. Eight years ago, I voted for Bush. Yeah, yeah, I know, stop screaming... Lemme explain... See, out of all the inalienable rights I hold true and dear, the ones I believe are the most important are those guaranteed by the First Amendment. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of the Press. Freedom of Assembly. Freedom of Religion. (Bet ya thought you'd never see me capitalize THAT word!) And no matter how much I knew Darth Bush and Emperor Cheney getting elected would fuck up this country on a financial level, I could not bring myself to vote for Al Gore, champion of censorship in music, and especially Joe Lieberman, champion of censorship in EVERYTHING (most notably video games and film). Nobody could have expected something like 9/11/2001 to give the reds free reign to throw out any rights they didn't see the need for. (Ya know, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Eighth Amendment...)
That said, here's what frightens me now. Since John McPain (who I wouldn't have minded 8 years ago, but like the Dems the past two years, he has spent two Bush terms being a spineless follower, NOT the "maverick" his campaign wants us to think of him as) announced his VP candidate last week, we've seen plenty of stories about her political record (and about how little a record it is) in Alaska. Out of it all, one very frightening detail jumps out at me. To quote Time Magazine:
If I wasn't already decided on the Dems this election, this would seal the deal! CENSORSHIP AND BANNING BOOKS IS THE CALLING CARD OF FASCISM! We can NOT allow this Republican party to maintain any control over the government. It is time for the people to take back the rights the founding fathers deemed so incontrovertible that they had to add them to the Constitution as Amendments, they so believed the rights to be self-evident that they originally did not believe they needed to be written out.Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.
August 19, 2008
Open-Mic Ratings
Some conversations last week about censorship and free expression got my brain spinning... I have decided to implement a ratings system for the Saturday Night With The Poet's Haven open-mics. Here's how the ratings break down:
Family Friendly These events are open to ALL AGES and the material featured is MODERATED by Poet's Haven staff. No explicit language is allowed and content must fall within "PG-13" restrictions.
Warning: Contains Language These events are open to ALL AGES, but the material featured is UNMODERATED and may contain adult language and content. Poets are asked to avoid anything explicitly "XXX" pornographic, but "R" rated content is perfectly welcome. Parental advisory.
Adults Only These events are held in locations with an age restriction, such as a bar. These events are UNMODERATED and may contain adult language and content. Poets are asked to avoid anything explicitly "XXX" pornographic, but "R" rated content is perfectly welcome.
Family Friendly These events are open to ALL AGES and the material featured is MODERATED by Poet's Haven staff. No explicit language is allowed and content must fall within "PG-13" restrictions.
Warning: Contains Language These events are open to ALL AGES, but the material featured is UNMODERATED and may contain adult language and content. Poets are asked to avoid anything explicitly "XXX" pornographic, but "R" rated content is perfectly welcome. Parental advisory.
Adults Only These events are held in locations with an age restriction, such as a bar. These events are UNMODERATED and may contain adult language and content. Poets are asked to avoid anything explicitly "XXX" pornographic, but "R" rated content is perfectly welcome.
August 11, 2008
Vertigo / Poet's Haven on Facebook and MySpace
Anyone out there who uses Facebook, you can find me at:
http://www.facebook.com/vertigoxx
MySpace users, you can find me here:
http://www.myspace.com/vertigoxx
MySpace users, you can find the MySpace mirror for the podcast here:
http://www.myspace.com/poetshavenpodcast
I'm still just getting started using Facebook, so I haven't done much networking there yet. Compared to MySpace, I've found much of Facebook to be overly complicated and over-thought. MySpace offers more control over how your profile and information is presented. However, the way Facebook's events are set up and the way invites work is drastically better than MySpace's similar offerings. (Plus, everything else aside, MySpace's parent company is still evil incarnate.)
http://www.facebook.com/vertigoxx
MySpace users, you can find me here:
http://www.myspace.com/vertigoxx
MySpace users, you can find the MySpace mirror for the podcast here:
http://www.myspace.com/poetshavenpodcast
I'm still just getting started using Facebook, so I haven't done much networking there yet. Compared to MySpace, I've found much of Facebook to be overly complicated and over-thought. MySpace offers more control over how your profile and information is presented. However, the way Facebook's events are set up and the way invites work is drastically better than MySpace's similar offerings. (Plus, everything else aside, MySpace's parent company is still evil incarnate.)
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