o, irony

clipped from www.bspcn.com We all shrug off our mortal coil eventually. Whilst we all look forward to a long and happy life, there are some unfortunate souls who leave this world with a touch of humor. If you’re gonna go, go out in style! Lifeguards On Duty In New Orleans more than 100 lifeguards threw a party to celebrate their first year without any tragedies. While they were partying, one of the guests, who was not a life saver, fell into the swimming pool fully clothed and drowned, even though four lifeguards were supposed to be on duty at the time! Out For A Morning Run A naked man running across New York’s Brooklyn bridge singing “Oh what a beautiful morning!” was run over by a car and killed. Are You Sure That Being A Veggie Is Healthy? Victor Villenti, 50, was a strict vegetarian, and forced his family to follow the same regime. While jogging in 1991 he was killed by an eight pound frozen leg of lamb which fell from a third-story window.

corruption index

read it and truly weep

Israel is ranked 30th out of 180 states in the 2007 "Corruption Perceptions Index," released Wednesday by Transparency International, a global NGO committed to fighting corruption

The ranking represents a slight improvement from 2006, when Israel came in at 34th, receiving a score of 5.9 out of 10, as opposed to this year's 6.1

Britain is ranked 12th and the United States 20th, with scores of 8.4 and 7.2, respectively

The survey focuses on corruption in the public sector and among politicians, and the organization defines corruption as "the misuse of entrusted power for private gain."

Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for first place on the list

Gross, the chairman of Israel's Transparency International branch, said that more than half of the 180 states that were examined received scores of three or less, which indicates that funds needed for education, medicine and infrastructure are being pocketed by politicians

clipped from www.haaretz.com		w
26/09/2007
Israel ranked 30th out of 180 countries in Corruption Index

what would b.d. do?

clipped from www.dylanmessaging.com

when did editing end? - sadi ranson-polizzotti

part of an ongoing (and previous) series on the popular site, teleread, www.teleread.org, editor david rothman, author, sadi ranson-polizzotti.

clipped from www.teleread.org No longer can an editor find the time to hold an author’s hand and, line by line, make careful or substantive changes to a submitted manuscript. “Due to the pressures of time and business, in the 21st century, the art of line editing is all but dead,” says Evander Lomke, an editor at Continuum Books and an officer of The Genius Club, a small, private organization comprised of members of the intellectual community. Line editing is a dying art in the modern book world. This much is a sad fact and one we must accept if we are to succeed as writers of e- or p-books. Note: Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti, TeleRead’s e-book editor, teaches a graduate-level course in editing. Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti: When did editing end? The ‘p-boo

what's new |

Sotto Voce is by no means 'in-active' - this site is a portal and a site unto itself. It has articles all its own and it also leads to Tant Mieux which houses most of the articles on all sites, which have been published on other sites as well including print publications, various anthologies, books, etc. So The Tant Mieux Project and Sotto Voce are like a warehouse in effect for keeping all of the writing in one safe and simple place that is easy to access: a portal, then.

Some sections of Tant Mieux have become really popular. I recently received a letter form a teacher who would like to use the poetry at Tant Mieux in her classroom for her students as an example (i make sure this was a case of what to do and not what not to do... eeks!) I also found that I had made a difference through TM's Dylan section in a course that is being taught now at NYU about Bob Dylan and that the Dylan section is recommended reading for the students so I have guest lectured there and will be again. I can't say enough good things about the Professor, Bob Levinson and his course on Bob Dylan. It's simply revolutionary in every way and i'm honored to be a part of that.

But what is really cooking and growing are the number of subscribers to our poetry sections and who would have guessed that? I would not have, but i'm glad for it. The two sections in particular that have been most popular are New Love Poems and Other Poems. I should tell you, these are also the most active sections, but for some reason, also the most popular so i hope you'll visit them and browse the Archive for something you like.

Of course, I'm still writing The List of the Moment, my regular feature for Blogcritics. For all of my writings at BC, simply click here. As always, there is the A Word feature on Tant Mieux which is our editorial of the moment, so browse on over to visit and you'll see.

If you are unfamiliar with Tant Mieux, it is a multi-media site with video, music, spoken-word poetry and podcasts, writing, and photography that yes, if you want to, you can use the Contact link and buy and ask to see more work (as others have) and we'd be happy to show you more (the site is representative only) and we do sell to collectors and have exhibitions as well. So a lot is going on.

Not all is quiet on the western front, but all is cool at the cool ranch. Here at Sotto Voce i occasionally post an article or poem or two out of interest, but to read more, do visit Tant Mieux or any of our sister sites, listed under links at Tant Mieux. If you're really bored, Google my name and that will pull up most of the TM sites as well and then some.

Be well, and thanks for visiting as always,

sadi ranson-polizzotti
who am I?

ballad of the thin man... eat the document

This footage of Ballad of the Thin Man from Eat the Document (also found with a lot more about Dylan on Dylan So Much the Better ) is most notable because Pennebaker cut his own lens for this footage and this footage only, which is part of why you get the effect you have of the light behind Dylan – the lights in general and how it shines almost eerily behind him. More >>>

*note that this article is part of a lecture for Bob Levinson's course on Bob Dylan at The New School and soon, New York University.

simon cowell says Dylan is boring - next please....

It’s somewhat ironic that Simon Cowell of American Idol, uh, notoriety, has stated that Bob Dylan’s music “Bores him to tears.” More, “…the Bob Dylans of this world would (not) make American idol a better show.”

Cowell went on to say he preferred Kelly Clarkson and that he had “Never bought a Dylan record.”

Well wow.

Should we all be devastated the king of, how shall we put this gently… mediocre pop that vanishes in a poof when the show ends? As Dylan would say, and I really couldn’t say it better, “The radio makes hideous sounds.” (Disclaimer: not always, certainly but as a general rule, I don’t see much evidence of a major social change or movement the way Bob Dylan influenced us at any time during his life.)

To take Cowell’s comments regarding Dylan as any serious criticism or something to be considered as other than what they really are if you scratch just a tiny bit beneath the surface level - which is to say that these are just another boring barb and snipe from the ever-so boring pithy and pissy and predictable Simon Cowell who frankly, likely just said it to garner publicity for himself and ride on Dylan’s coattails (which is disgusting: shame, shame Simon.) >>>more

a word...

We're glad to be back blogging on Sotto Voce since we've been very busy with Bob Dylan on Tant Mieux. That said, we never forget our other sites, and have created a new slew of places to visit and articles to read: start with et pourquoi pas and check out the other articles on that blog.

Also, visit Tant Mieux, where the traffic has gone way up and see just how much has changed. There are new photographers working at the site, new Dylan photos, video footage of Dylan - some rare - most of it culled from known sources but we've saved you much of the work in searching and scoping out the best.

Our most recent review comes from the exhibit at the Morgan in New York City, covered for us by Evander Lomke. You may also want to check out the new book published by Continuum, Highway 61 Revisited (click here to find more). We're pleased to say that all of Tant Mieux's news is picked up by the big channels such as Expectingrain, Google News, The Dylan Daily etc. and we encourage you not only to visit us, but to visit those sites as well (if you don't already).

In other news, I'm working on a book for Continuum-Books on Lewis Carroll (which is now under contract, due in 2008) as part of a series they have. I've long studied Carroll, but didn't realized how established I was now in the community, so this is great news for me and I'm pleased to announce it mostly because I want to share information with other Carroll scholars and fans - so if you want to link and share information, please, be in touch: click here to email me. I'm pleased and excited to find myself as a reference both in articles and books in places like Wikipedia and other sources; it's an honor.

In other news, visit David Rothman's fine site, Teleread, which still runs hot and heavy, and do visit my own writings at Teleread and podcastings anytime. This semester, Spring that is, as we move through the winter and into spring (which gives us hope that winter will end...) I will be teaching graduate school and writing, and pleased to say that I have been invited to teach at The New School in New York a lecture on Bob Dylan, which should be fun, the plan to discuss the importance of Pennebaker's film - Don't Look Back - reviews on Tant Mieux, which if you don't know, please use the link and visit Tant Mieux and check it out in our Article's section. It's worthwile, more than that, to see Pennebaker's genius...

There is, as ever, so much more to say, but I've said too much no doubt. The rest is yet to come in an article. For now, I want to keep you updated, share a few links and wish everyone the very best. I do hope you'll visit Tant Mieux - there is so much that is new. We try our best to keep it fresh; we're always welcome to suggestions and input. So far, your input has been great - supportive, helpful, and insightful. Keep it coming. That contact link is yours for the using, just as the world is there for the writing.

Be well,

sadi ranson-polizzotti
december, 2006

Bob Dylan - When The Deal Goes Down

just because it's too good not to. For more Bob Dylan

dylan - signage in London

for more click Bob Dylan

bob dylan don't think twice, 1965

live concert footage, for more please click here for Bob Dylan on Tant Mieux

bob dylan time magazine interview

for more, visit
http://tantmieux.squarespace.com/bob-dylan-on-tant-mieux-/ and select Dylan from the right navigation.

bob dylan | boot heels still wanderin - live at agganis, november 12, 2006

The Agganis Arena at Boston University is large – pretty large anyway, with raked seating and crimson backed chairs and seats that line the flat base of the floor. It seems worthy of Dylan more than the show I saw this summer at a baseball field in Pawtuckett Rhode Island where Dylan played, which was a terrific show and set-list (so don’t get me wrong, this was a great show), and while Dylan may like base-ball and all, it didn’t seem grand enough to me, but then,. maybe it wasn’t meant to be. >>>more

a time for departure

Tennessee Williams said, “There is a time in life for departure even when there is no place to go.”
It’s a slippery statement but at this juncture, I can relate in that I feel a need for departure – be it from a relationship or place – it is a departure all the same. The scary thing about departure is that you don’t know where it leads, as Williams says. You know where you were, or you think you know here you were or perhaps you did and now it has been changed, dare I say edited, revised, history rewritten? This happens: people can be conveniently revisionist when it suits, and this hurts. They will take years of a shared history and with one mark of a red-pen and a red swoop erase the whole thing as if it never happened at all. They do this as a way of saying “you never have met” (Reference Bob Dylan: “I Don’t Believe You” who tells us, “I said it’s easily done, you just pick anyone and just act you never have met….” Clearly he too had his run-ins with the type.) >>>more

What is Documented; Leaving a Legacy

I’ve written about this before to some extent anyway, and yet I find myself coming back around to the topic with yet more thoughts and ideas. The topic here is legacy, documentary and why we, or I anyway, feel the need to preserve a given moment. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs in this house in various stages of their evolution from storage on disk, to stacks or prints, to finished home in actual album. Some pasted into those big blank printer sample books that my husband gets as part of his job from printers >>> more

waiting for Dylan in Pawtuckett

We are sixth or so in line in front the imposing stadium security gate at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket , Rhode Island .

It is August 24, 2006 and it is early hours yet – only 2:30 – which leaves us with three hours before we can even enter the stadium where we will see Bob Dylan. If you count the warm-up acts as part of our wait, we have about six or so hours of waiting time before Bob Dylan comes on stage.

So we wait. We wait for Phil, a friend of our cousin, and we for our cousin - Evander. So we wait. We wait for Phil and Evander, but mostly, we wait for Bob. >>more

what would Bob Dylan do?

After having gone through many hard times, and hey, who hasn’t in their life by a certain age, I have finally realized that I absolutely know nothing. By this I do not mean the “oh, I at last realize that I used to know everything, but I now realize that I knew so little.” I truly mean that I know absolutely nothing (hard emphasis there.) >> more

Wired: Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Epilepsy & Me

There are, of course, risks with any major surgery. Even with minor surgery.
My neurologist wants me to get a vagus nerve stimulator implanted beneath my pectoral muscle, which is just below my breast. “A slight scar” he says and runs his finger along the side of his arm >>>more...

allons'y

welcome to Sotto Voce, which is part of The Tant Mieux Project, which is to say that it is part of a whole lot of stuff.

Tant Mieux - so much the better - to translate loosely that is, is a site where we publish cultural comment, music commentary, generational and cultural issues, GenX issues, sociological comment, poetry (of all kinds, ranging from simply seasonal to Love to the elusive Other, which we haven't been able to pin down, hence we simply call it Other for that is what it is.

Most of all these days, Tant Mieux gets a lot of attention not simply for its poetry (though this is a big draw always) but for our section on Bob Dylan, which is updated often with articles about Bob Dylan and reviews of various media and just general musings - we're happy to say that these articles are picked up by the site expectingrain, which is part of www.bobdylan.com and so our articles usually make Google News.

We're also seeing a ton of traffic and a lot of recognition for our writing about Lewis Carroll - author, of course, of Alice in Wonderland - and the only writer who, alongside Shakespeare - sells as many copies of his book as only The Bible each year. More, both Carroll and Shakespeare remain the most quoted and translated authors worldwide, every single year.

Ranson-Polizzotti is well-known for her work on Lewis Carroll and as such is used as a primary reference for many encylopedias, including Wikipedia United States as well as Wikipedia abroad. The same is true of her writings about Bob Dylan which are also widely referenced. Ranson-Polizzotti is a widely referenced authority on both artists.

You may wish to spend some time at the Sotto Voce portal or simply go to the Tant Mieux Project main page by clicking here. There, you will find not only the entire Bob Dylan site, but so much more, including WAV files of audio poetry, poetry divided by sections and so much more.

Sotto Voce is a landing pad for Tant Mieux - it's where we keep things updated and alive and where we point you in the right direction and where we may leave an occasional editorial, so do visit.

For more of SRP's writings, check out Blogcritics here or for her technical writings on David Rothman's fine site at Teleread, click here. To go straight to the Bob Dylan section on Tant Mieux, click here.

Check back regularly for information, and thanks for being part of the Tant Mieux Project.

Allons'y!

welcome to sotto voce

the long and strong rainy days of summer, unlike most other times of year, a real deluge that brings down trees with thunderous clouds and lightning that always seems to seek out and strike someone as reported on the evening news.

Yet despite all of this, despite our work and those impossible deadlines, let's face it, we love all of it. We love those deadlines, to be driven and to feel that elan of it all as the world spins and as we speed (though not fast, disclaimer) through the tunnel listening to Evan Dando or whatever is floating your boat these days and you get there and get the job done. This is what life is about. I heard it is mostly about just "showing up" and i believe that is more than half the battle. Show up, do your best, maintain your dignity at all times whenever possible and just forget the small stuff, the daily irritations, the gnats that annoy us all and do their best to do so. None of this is worth the trouble. None of it. This much i can promise you. What is imporant is Being There. Be present now, and do your best. You live once that you remember and trite as it sounds or may sound, your friend or mother or whomever was right when they said, Why should anyone be any smarter than you?

It's not to do with smart; it's to do with effort. There are loads of smart people, the problem is, there are few people who are willing to put in the effort it takes to get the job really done. Make that person you.

That's the sotto voce speech of the day or month ~ for now, read on.

s.r.p.

site updated, summer, 2006