Continuing our necrothematic day here at the Shebeen Club:

From Barb Huff

I know, I know. But wait for it. I mean, have you seen him lately?

Can’t be long now.

From The State That I Am In, via Gawker, who said “three more years? We can hardly wait” or words very much to that effect that I am too lazy to look up.

Future Perfect
Sep 5, 2009 5:46 EDT 

TEHRAN, IRAN (AP) - Christopher E. Hitchens, the celebrated journalist, essayist and literary critic whose over 30-year career spanned styles, continents and political ideologies, died today during a combined Allied air strike on a reported insurgent stronghold on the outskirts of the city. He was 60.

Hitchens, whose well-read works ranged from tabloid-like coverage of American culture to almost academic books on the nature of politics and religion, was in the region at an American Air Force base in neighboring Kuwait as part of his “Glorious War Tour” while promoting his most recent book Regan: Grace in Crisis.

After emigrating from his native England, where he received a degree at Oxford University, to the United States in 1981, Hitchens worked for a wide variety of publications including The Nation, The Independent, Spy, Vanity Fair and Shock. Hitchen’s style and focus was almost unavoidably political and inflammatory, usually consisting of reasoned, if inordinately impassioned attacks on various ideologies (fascism, liberalism, Islamism) or public figures (Noam Chomsky, St. Teresa of Calcutta, Henry Kissinger). In one of political literature’s more discussed sea changes, Hitchens, once a liberal Trotskyite, publicly converted to a personalized form of neoconservatism in response to various grievances with the foreign policies of the first Clinton administration. His altered stance was only hardened after the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001.

Recent months had seen him softening his position on liberalism and openly supporting President Clinton’s current campaign in Iran.

During this, his third trip to the region in as many months, Hitchens had been seen enjoying his free time in the company of pilots and loading crews of the 4404th Air Expeditionary Wing stationed here at Ali Al Salem Air Base. It appears that last night Hitchens managed to convince the crew of a B52-H to take him on board for it night mission over the pockmarked edges of Iran’s former capital.  

While details remain unconfirmed, it appears, through a released night-vision photo, that Hitchens climbed atop one of the larger conventional warheads in the B52-H’s bomb bay only seconds before the crew released its payload on target. The Air Force has launched a full investigation and an unnamed Defense Department official stated on the condition of anonymity that he expects the crew to face disciplinary charges calling the incident, “an egregious lapse in battlefield judgment.”

Hitchens is survived by his wife, Carol Blue, their daughter Antonia, and two other children, Alexander and Sophia, from a pervious marriage.

NEWS:
Friends and associates, in the past week WinneroftheWeek.com underwent some remodeling.  What came out of this remodeling are some very fine new humor sections and improvements upon the older ones.   You will find these sections catalogued at the top of the third column for your clicking pleasure.

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Lorraine, family, friends, company,
and esteemed membership of the shebeen club,
Send word to the people & the powers that be.
Please find, this cordial invitation to my book launch
it’s at Elissa Cristall gallery, on scenic south granville st. Vancouver.
Thursday August 3rd, 2245 Granville, 8pm till late
as you well know, I guarantee cold beer, red sticker action, and a good time.
Review:
Timothy Taylor says, “I think elephant is going to be big”
Cheers, Robert

From Gawker.
David Patrick Columbia Defeats Death

Socialite captioneer and social mandarin David Patrick Columbia is most well known for running the good ship New York Social Diary. Unfortunately, it seems he took in a showing of An Inconvenient Truth. That or the heat done got him. The generally dark news here and abroad inspired the gentleman to issue this declaration:

Nothing is impossible as long as there is you and your imagination. That may be beyond naivete. But … have you ever been confronted by the very real possibility of death? I have. I learned that the human reaction is to Do Something.
In other words, have you ever stared death in the face, punk, like David Patrick Columbia has? We have no idea what the actual possibility of death was that confronted DPC, but we’re sure we can collectively come up with a better one. Therefore, the challenge: in 50 words or less, describe David Patrick Columbia confronting and overcoming death. The scenario must take place at a NYSD-appropriate party or other social function. Submit entries in the comments below or to dpcdeathatgmaildotcom. Winning entry receives a free copy of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Extreme Edition.

Thanks to Raj for being our contributing photographer for the evening. Remind me next time to hold the book up to my face when I’m reading so nobody can see all the chins.

Great, now I’m hungry. This was the Bangers and Mash that the Irish Heather cooked up for us.

Our featured speaker, Zahid Makhdoom.

More attentive audience members. And a view to Blood Alley.

No, seriously; I was dressed as a blogger. It was a COSTUME. Nobody ever, ever dresses this way normally. Like, ever.

I also need a chin-ectomy. Where is my Photoshop, dammit?

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Found a flyer for Spartacus Books at the library today. I was interested to find out that they offer community computer facilities and host workshops and readings. Spartacus is, fyi, the oldest surviving Communist bookstore in Western Canada.

What Spartacus is:

Since 1973, Spartacus Books is a non-profit, volunteer & collectively run bookstore & resource senter that is located right on the edge of Vancouver’s Eastside.

Spartacus sells new and used books, zines, comics, magazines, CDs, videos, T-shirts, patches, pins, posters and cards (and more!).

The Spartacus collective hosts shows, workshops, readings and free film nights.

As a community space, Spartacus has couches, workspace and free networked computer terminals (printer, internet, and CD burner).

The Spartacus collective’s focus is to give the community a free safe public space. As well as access to books and literature and a forum for open dialogue that may not otherwise be available to them.

319 West Hastings

Vancouver, BC Canada

V6B 1H6

infoatspartacusbooksdotorg