Just Reviewed “The Outsourced Self” at SBR
Folks, you owe it to yourself to read THE OUTSOURCED SELF by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Hochschild, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, has an interesting and often trenchant take on the current trend of personal outsourcing — where we pay someone else to do something we used to do ourselves, like organizing a child’s birthday party, or finding a name for an infant, or finding someone to meet and marry (as in the case of e-Harmony.com). This is an interesting book with many laugh out loud moments, but it’s the power of its argument that eventually won me over.
Know, though, that this isn’t a perfect book; Hochschild mostly deals with the American upper middle class, and in these tough economic times, that really seems nonsensical. (When we do see low-income people, they are almost always foreigners, which seems really strange.) We have plenty of poor people in the United States; why didn’t Hochschild interview a few? Didn’t she think they would advance her argument, considering that this whole idea of “outsourcing yourself” seems prevalent now among all classes and cultures in the United States, for one reason and one reason alone — that is, “if you pay for it” (whatever it is), “it must have more value.”
While I disagree, and disagree strongly, with that idea, I’ve certainly seen other people who espouse it. That’s why Hochschild’s book is both topical and relevant — and it’s why I believe every writer should read this book.
Here’s the link to tonight’s review:
Enjoy!
May Baseball: Brewers in Extras, Rottino Sent Back to AAA
Currently, as of 11:56 PM on Friday, May 11, 2012, the Milwaukee Brewers are tied with the Chicago Cubs, 7-7. They’re about to go to the thirteenth inning; all position players and all non-starting pitchers have been used, with the only two players available being starting pitchers Yovani Gallardo (who pitched two days ago) and Marco Estrada (who’s supposed to pitch Sunday), which leaves Brewers reserve pitcher Vinnie Chulk as the pitcher of record . . . this is a game, believe it or not, where the Brewers were ahead, 1-0, until the top of the seventh inning.
All of that sturm und drang, though, pales in comparison to the latest twist of the Vinny Rottino saga. Rottino was called up by the New York Mets on May 4, 2012, played in three games, went 0 for 4 during that time, and now has been sent back to AAA Buffalo. The main reason Rottino was sent down is that Mets IF Ronny Cedeno was reinstated from the 15-day DL.
Some of what Rottino is dealing with has to do with being the 26th guy on a 25 man roster; that is, he’s good enough to play in the majors, though probably not every day, and the Mets know this or they’d never have called him up. They also have to know that Rottino is a guy who does better if he plays every day or every other day — that doesn’t mean he’ll never stick in the majors, but the timing has to be right for him.
Rottino’s career, thus far, seems to be plagued by bad timing. This, of course, is entirely out of Rottino’s control. All Rottino can do is prepare himself, persist, and hit the cover off the ball at Buffalo. If he does this, let’s hope the right opportunity will finally arise as Rottino truly deserves it.
By the way, the Brewers are now batting in the bottom of the 13th inning. The game’s still tied, 7-7. The Cubs are now out of relief pitchers and have used their very last player, catcher Geovany Soto, off the bench. Rickie Weeks got hit on the left wrist and may have hurt himself badly; he can’t get the batting glove off his hand and is wincing in pain. Ryan Braun is about to bat; let’s hope he can end this game so the Brewers can find out what’s wrong with Weeks already.
UPDATE: Braun, too, was hit by a pitch (in the back); the Cubs final reliever, Lendy Castillo, was wild and didn’t get warned. Aramis Ramirez lined a single into center, then came the hero of the day night — Corey Hart. Hart had already hit a 2 R HR in the 9th to tie the game at 7, then hit a seeing-eye single that drove in the eighth and final run for the Brewers. Brewers win, 8-7; Hart goes 4 for 7 with a HR, double, and two singles, and drove in 3. Chulk gets the win (his first win since August 19, 2007 in the majors); he’s 1-0.
Scott Walker Tape Surfaces: “Divide and Conquer” Strategy Clear from Day One
Folks, it is official. Scott Walker is a liar.
You see, when Walker was campaigning in 2010 for Governor of Wisconsin, he never told the public that he would eliminate collective bargaining for public employee unions. Nor that he intended to use a “divide and conquer” strategy. But due to a video that surfaced a day ago, that is indeed exactly what Walker intended all along. In this recording, Walker used the words “divide and conquer” clearly to one of his biggest fund-raisers, Beloit (WI) billionaire Diane Hendricks; she, of course, approved of this.
This recording was made in January of 2011, a few weeks before Walker “dropped the bomb” and announced that his “budget-repair” bill would have a provision in it to strip public employee union members of their collective bargaining rights.
And lest anyone complain that this somehow is a “gotcha” moment — well, Walker did this to himself, talking with a real, Republican backer. Since he uttered those words, Ms. Hendricks has given over $500,000 to Walker’s campaign, so it’s obvious what Walker intended.
Please see this link from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel for further details:
While Walker now says he “doesn’t remember” what he said back in January of ’11, and now just wants to “move forward,” this is a typical politician “non-denial denial.” None of us should believe it.
Democratic opponent Tom Barrett, the current Mayor of Milwaukee, astutely analyzes why Walker said such a thing. In this quote from the above-cited Journal-Sentinel article:
Barrett said that he first heard about the video Thursday night while driving home from Wausau and was “flabbergasted at his language.””If you want to know when Scott Walker is really telling the truth, it’s when he’s talking to billionaires and when he thinks he’s talking to billionaires,” Barrett said. “He says one thing to the public, but to people who give him $500,000 or to people he thinks are giving him $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, his message is completely different.”
All of this is important because Walker insists that he does not want to make Wisconsin a “right-to-work” state. “Right-to-work” states make it harder for existing unions to operate, and almost impossible for new unions to arise, due to its onerous provisions against such practices. Or as the recently surfaced video says (quoting from the above article):
In the conversation on the video, Hendricks was seen asking Walker about right-to-work legislation. “Any chance we’ll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions – ”
“Oh, yeah,” Walker broke in.
“- and become a right-to-work?” Hendricks continued. “What can we do to help you?”
“Well, we’re going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill,” Walker said. “The first step is we’re going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer. So for us, the base we get for that is the fact that we’ve got – budgetarily we can’t afford not to. If we have collective bargaining agreements in place, there’s no way not only the state but local governments can balance things out . . . That opens the door once we do that. That’s your bigger problem right there.”
So that just goes to show you, folks. Walker’s intentions — that is, to break unions — were clear from the moment he took office. Any denial to the contrary is just nonsense; worse than that, it shows Walker’s mendacity in full measure.
So don’t fall for the Walker “non-denial denials.” Because they just don’t make sense.
Quick Writing/Editing Update
Right now, I’m still ensconced with the nuts and bolts of a lengthy non-fiction manuscript that I’m editing for two other writers. So very little fiction writing has been done in the past month or so.
That said, I did get about 1100 words into a new story, which is of all things a YA dystopia. (No, I’m not trying to follow today’s market trends so much as just figure out where this story leads me. Tomorrow’s market trends may be much different than today’s, and every writer worth her salt knows this.) So that’s encouraging.
Otherwise, I sent two different stories (the second only after the first was rejected) to a well-known anthology. Neither story was picked, but I’m pleased that I was able to format these stories properly for the market and get them out despite the otherwise heavy workload.
I also have two other stories out, plus a third at a place that’s part writing workshop, part market. (This latter is for Universe Annex, and that particular story will likely need to be revised for this particular market if I’m to have any hope of selling it there, which is fine.) And three poems are currently sitting at a different market altogether, so at least I’m getting my completed short fiction and some of my poetry off my computer and out to various markets.
All of this is important, because you can’t possibly sell anything if you aren’t willing to take the risk. I know this sounds basic, and it is. But you still must take that risk.
Now, I need to get back to editing. Just know that unless something really interesting happens between now and Saturday, it’s unlikely I’ll post much except to get a book review out the door at SBR due to the ongoing work that must be completed — and soon — lest I risk the wrath of my writers and their publisher.
Wednesday Early AM Recall Musings
Folks, I’m still working hard on an edit that’s nearly completed, so I don’t have a lot of time available to blog. That said, I watched the election returns this evening and noted the following:
The total amount of votes in the Democratic primary recall race for Governor cast for the four real Democrats was 665,436; the total amount of votes cast for the one real Republican in the race, sitting Governor Scott Walker, was 626,538.
One thing is clear; anyone who cast a vote tonight in the Democratic primary is likely to vote for anyone other than Scott Walker. Tonight’s winner, current Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, knows he has a good-sized coalition in place that’s ready and eager to vote against Walker on June 5, 2012.
Other than that, Mahlon Mitchell easily won his race in the Democratic primary recall race for Lieutenant Governor, so he will be taking on current Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch on June 5. And former state Senator John Lehman, D-Racine, easily beat “fake Democrat” Tamra Varebrook, advancing to the June 5 election against current state Senator Van Wanggaard. (All four Democratic challengers easily won their May 8, 2012, races for state Senate.)
These elections show that many people want to change course in Wisconsin. We don’t like extremes here on either the D or R side; instead, we like moderates. Yet we’ve seen little moderation from the current crop of R politicians that was voted in during the 2010 election season, which is why so many people went out and signed recall petitions. (Simply put: they didn’t listen to us, so it’s time to boot them out and get someone in there who will.)
No matter how the Rs try to spin it, remember this well: the way Scott Walker and his R cronies behaved in 2011 is why so many voters went out and voted in the various primaries. And that bad behavior is what’s going to get at least a few of these Rs recalled on June 5.
Monday Odds and Ends
Today’s post contains a number of quick updates. (Ready, set . . . go!)
First, Milwaukee Brewers SS Alex Gonzalez, after being placed on the 15-day DL on May 6, 2012, found out that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL); Gonzalez will now be out for the entire year. This might not seem so bad, except for the fact that Gonzalez is the third Brewers player to go down with a season-ending injury, joining first baseman Mat Gamel and pitcher Chris Narveson on the long-term disabled list.
Second, the Wisconsin recall primaries are tomorrow, May 8, 2012. Please get out there and vote; remember that in the 21st district, the only real Democrat is former state Senator John Lehman. In the gubernatorial primary, the four real Ds are Tom Barrett, Kathleen Falk, Doug LaFollette, and Kathleen Vinehout.
Third, I’m attempting to broaden my horizons regarding digital publications, as I’ve joined a workshop toward that end. While I still hope to find a publisher (or at least an agent) this year, it’s important to learn everything I can about e-publishing in case I do decide to go that route.
That’s about it — now, I’d best get back to editing (as a non-fiction manuscript I’ve been working on with two writers is due to be turned in later this week).
Baseball Round-up: Brewers News, Rottino Called Up by Mets
Folks, if I were a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, I’d be panicking right now. After first losing P Chris Narveson, then 1B Mat Gamel to season-ending injuries, the Brewers have placed CF Carlos Gomez on the 15-day DL. Now, the Brewers probably will have to place SS Alex Gonzalez on the DL as well, because today he slid into second base attempting to steal, and had to be assisted off the field.
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UPDATE: Tom Haudricourt points out in today’s game blog at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel online that this is the fourth consecutive day where a Brewers player has exited the game (Gamel, Braun, Gomez, and now Gonzalez). MLB.com Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy wrote that Gonzalez will be going to the DL as of tomorrow, and said that 3B Taylor Green and SS Edwin Maysonet (here’s his prior major league statistics; he’s a lifetime .276 hitter in very limited play) will be called up from AAA Nashville. Green can play 2B, 1B, and possibly the OF; Maysonet also plays 2B.
Note that this update doesn’t change my initial assessment about who’s going to play the outfield, now that there’s only three healthy outfielders (Corey Hart, Norichika Aoki, and Nyjer Morgan), with Braun playing anyway due to an Achilles injury.
This also doesn’t change my initial assessment regarding first base, either; right now we have Travis Ishikawa and Brooks Conrad, who aren’t good long-term solutions. It might be better for Braun and the Brewers if he must continue to play despite his injury to be shifted to first base. Braun came up as a third baseman, knows the infield, and is the best athlete on the club, so this might not be so onerous as it might appear.
That way, Corey Hart could be put in CF as he has good speed and is blessed with the best arm (outside of Braun, who is ailing) in the outfield. Morgan could be put in RF (possibly platooning with Conrad, who’s a better OF than he is at 1B), and Aoki, who has a very suspect arm despite his excellent speed, in left field.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled post.
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The player who really could’ve helped them right now is 32-year-old utilityman Vinny Rottino, who was called up yesterday by the New York Mets. Rottino, who had a good Spring Training with the Mets and was the last player sent down to the minors, hit .317 at AAA Buffalo with 1 HR, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, 8 doubles, and 1 triple. He had a fourteen game hitting streak going at Buffalo when he was called up.
Here’s a link to a very nice Mets blog that discussed the Rottino call-up:
Rottino has played the outfield exclusively for the Bisons this season, but played first base, third base, and catcher along with the OF in Spring Training. The Mets know Rottino is versatile, is a patient hitter, and has a calming, steady presence on the bench; better yet, Rottino is a fine defender and makes very few mental mistakes.
The best news in this case is that Rottino finally is is an organization that’s told him the flat, exact truth: they told him when he was sent down (reading between the lines in Peter Jackel’s last story about Rottino in the Racine Journal-Times) that he’d be the first position player called up, and he has been. Being in an organization that’s told Rottino the truth and values what he’s done thus far has to be a huge emotional lift, which Rottino deserves due to his persistence, faith in himself and his abilities, and all of his hard work.
But as this article by Peter Jackel from 2007 shows, Rottino is a lot more than just a guy with a great attitude. Then-Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan had this to say about Rottino:
“What is great about Vinny is he is able to play a lot of different positions and he plays them well,” Suppan said. “He had to wait a little while to get some good opportunities in the big leagues, but I think in the years to come, he’s going to be a mainstay.”
And here’s what then-Brewers hitting coach Jim Skaalen had to say:
“He knows he belongs up here,” Skaalen said. “Through the hard work he’s put in over the years coming from where he’s come from – an undrafted player – and the odds that are against someone in that situation, he’s obviously a fighter or he wouldn’t be here. And now he’s fought himself and worked himself to this level and he’s not going to be denied now.
“That’s the way it is with guys who play at this level. They expect to be here, they’re comfortable in this environment and they know they’re as good as anybody else who’s out there.”
Ultimately, the main thing to remember about Rottino is this: he’s a baseball player. And he’s a very good one. This is not a publicity stunt by the Mets; it’s not charity. Rottino has earned his opportunity and I believe he will make the most of it.
More people need to know about Vinny Rottino and his long journey to the major leagues. If they did, they’d realize the value in refusing to give up no matter what the odds.
Just Reviewed Harbach’s “The Art of Fielding” at SBR
Folks, if you love baseball and you enjoy literary novels, you’ll enjoy Chad Harbach’s THE ART OF FIELDING. In many senses, this is a very fine debut novel with good characterization (with one glaring exception), a story that makes sense, and even a mythic struggle between what you know about yourself and what you think you know — or perhaps better explained as, “Who are you, really, when the cameras are off?”
This is the problem shortstop Henry Skrimshander has. He plays for Westish University (a totally fictional place set in Wisconsin), a Division III school, and is such a great shortstop that he’s never made an error. (He even calls his glove “Zero.”) And he bases his entire personality on that fact, to the point that when he finally does commit an error, his world falls apart.
Mind you, as I reviewed the entire book, I had to point out the one, big weakness of it, and that’s the relationship between Henry’s teammate Mike Schwartz, a catcher on his last legs, and the University President’s daughter, Pella Affenlight. Pella is drawn as a really hot-looking woman, and Schwartz, who otherwise is a go-getter of the first water, seems to have no communication skills or self-esteem when it comes to her. And Pella’s characterization in this area is extremely shallow; she does what she likes, doesn’t wonder much about why she does anything, and of course at the end, Schwartz takes her back for reasons only he knows, because the book is mute.
As I said in my review over at Shiny Book Review (SBR), hotness is not enough for any man to do this in a long-term relationship, not if he wants it to work. (And if this Pella really is that hot, why isn’t she a supermodel already?) Even seeing it as Schwartz’s “tragic flaw,” it doesn’t work, especially as the two of them pairing off is supposed to show great depth and maturity on Pella’s part!
So if Pella weren’t in this book at all, this book would’ve been a solid A. As it stands, because I love romance and know what works and what doesn’t, I had to give it a B even though I loved the book otherwise.
My advice, for what it’s worth, is to check out my review, which is here:
Then, go read the book, enjoy the baseball, and give Pella a wide berth.
Scott Walker in Tight Race in WI Governor Recall
Folks, today a new poll was released by the Marquette University Law School (yes, they do polling, too) that says that if the election were held today, Scott Walker would lose (by a point) to Democratic candidate Tom Barrett. Walker would win according to this poll against Democratic candidate Kathleen Falk, 49% to 42%, and would beat Democratic candidates Douglas Lafollette (the current Secretary of State) and state Senator Kathleen Vinehout of Alma by a margin of 49% to 40%.
As for how all four Democratic candidates do against each other? This poll says that Barrett leads with 43%, followed by Falk with 21%, Lafollette with 8% and Vinehout, the least-known candidate, with 6%.
Here’s a link to the article about the poll at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Now, here’s my take about this poll: I distrust it. Why? Because the Marquette University Law School poll has a known bias that helps Republican candidates look better in polling than they actually tend to do.
For that matter, Falk, a former Dane County Executive, distrusts it also. Here’s what she said in the Journal-Sentinel article sourced above:
. . . Falk questioned the poll’s findings when she talked to reporters during a campaign tour of Union Cab, a taxi cooperative in Madison.
“The establishment naysayers have predicted this whole year incorrectly,” she said. “They said this recall would never get off the ground.”
I’m with Falk on this one, because I don’t think this poll accurately reflects Wisconsin voters. Falk is likely being undercounted, as the TV ads have tried to make her out to be a “Madison liberal” when she’s clearly a moderate in the Hillary Clinton mode, and assuredly Vinehout is, as she has a huge stronghold in Northern Wisconsin (the area she serves) that apparently hasn’t been polled whatsoever. And if two of the four candidates being polled aren’t being adequately reflected, what does that say about the entirety of the poll?
As for the political TV ads we’ve seen thus far in Wisconsin, they’ve been heavily negative against Falk and Barrett. This is mostly because Walker can spend all sorts of money (he’s raised $13 million thus far, with 2/3 of that money coming from out-of-state interests) and neither Falk nor Barrett can match it as the two, between them, have raised $1.75 million. (Vinehout and Lafollete, who both are “alternative” candidates with strong grass-roots appeal, certainly can’t.)
But for that matter, I don’t understand the barrage of political advertising thus far. As it stands, this is an election that’s likely not going to be decided by big-money interests. Everyone in Wisconsin knows what Walker did, and has firm opinions on it, which is why there are very few “undecideds” in the sense of knowing whether or not they approve of Walker.
Where the indecision comes in — and where the big-money ads may come into play — is this: does Scott Walker deserve to be booted out of office after less than two years in the Governor’s chair? Some of those who don’t like Walker may be indecisive about getting rid of him, precisely because this is a historic move that’s never before happened anywhere in the United States, much less Wisconsin.
My guess is that the 900,ooo-plus that went out to sign petitions recalling Walker have the most to say in Walker’s recall election, to wit: if they go out and vote, en masse, to get rid of Walker, he will be out on his ear. Which is why now, we’re starting to see news reports on Milwaukee-area TV stations of a more reflective Walker. On these TV “spots” (mostly on news reports), Walker insists that even if he is recalled, he’s done everything right. This belief that Walker somehow is right and everyone else is plain, flat wrong is why Walker should be recalled.
Wisconsin voters must get rid of Scott Walker, no matter who the Democratic candidate is. Because if we don’t, we will have no opportunity whatsoever to have a responsible Governor who actually listens to Wisconsinites, as Walker himself has already shown us that he’s not listening to anyone and isn’t about to start doing so, either.
So on May 8, 2012, go out and vote for the candidate of your choice in the Democratic primary. Then, regardless of who wins (it’s likely to be either Falk or Barrett, which I would’ve believed no matter what the Marquette University Law School poll said), go out on June 5, 2012 and support that person. Because if we do not get Walker out, things will only get worse — not better. Guaranteed.
Barb Caffrey's Blog 