Archive for September, 2006

Germaine Reads: Review of The Double

by PattyJo Mac

book: The Double by José Saramago

No writer has impacted me to a greater extent in the last four years than Jose Saramago. Blindness was a gift from a good friend and from the first I was captivated, by style, by substance, by story. The Double is the latest among several that I have read since receiving that first brilliant introduction to this nobel laureate.

Identity is an undercurrent in all of his books. A strong undercurrent. What do we know of ourselves, who do we become, when suddenly we and everyone else, save one, succumbs to blindness? And the minions of us recorded dutifully on birth and death records and in the cemetery registry, on the tombstone, if that is the only record of our existence, the sum of our lives, who will go searching for us among these breviary? What is the identity, the meaning of an entire city if its history is altered by one event? Suppose the ground beneath us begins to move and we who were peninsula become island and drift?

And suppose you are a history teacher, divorced, depressed, childless, in a relationship that you want to end and you discover that there is someone in the world, in your own city who is your exact double. Not your twin. Your double. A scientific impossiblity. A freak of nature. You and this other man. He is an actor who puts on other identities for the camera. A minor actor whose career has gradually ascended until he is on the brink of celebrity, but not quite there. Can you bear that he exists? Tertuliano Maximo Afonso cannot bear it. Identity becomes central in The Double.

Saramago is a master at creating tension, at making characters who, if these were horror stories, are bound to go into the “dark room”. It is an inexorable journey into the dark room. Tertuliano makes one step after another, this decision and that one. Most of his decisions are guaranteed to be disastrous. He discovers love and loses it. He discovers a capacity to destroy and a capacity to redeem. Ultimately, he discovers that his desire to be unique is futile, never to be realized.

If you have not read Saramago, you may well be confused by his style. Few writers would dare to use this form. To read Saramago is to adjust to a whole new way of regarding the printed word. It is like listening to a great story teller. Listen to him.



Cold Puts an End to Honeydew Season

by Howard Applegate
     Friday night’s deep freeze put an official end to honeydew season for Wilbur County farmers. While most have had their crops in for a few weeks now, a few holdouts, hoping to get a little more growth on immature melons, were caught by surprise.
     “I guess I just got complacent,” said farmer Aubrey McClellan, “You know with longer seasons we’ve been having in recent years, I just wasn’t expecting it.”
     The temperature dipped to 26 degrees early Saturday morning, leaving a heavy white frost on the fields. Although Wilbur County honeydews are able to withstand cold better than other varieties, the freeze was cold enough to severely damage McClellan’s crop. He estimates about 30% will be unsuitable for market.
     Needless to say, farmer McClellan is now harvesting his crop as quickly as possible, in order to salvage as much as he can.
     McClellan is philosophical about his loss. “Bill O’Reilly said that this global warming stuff would be a big boon to farmers. Just goes to show these radio guys are as unreliable as the weather.”



Council campaign heats up, charges fly

by Howard Applegate
    Candidate Shawn Hedrick refused to comment today on accusations that he has a conflict of interest in his race for City Council. Willie Walkingstick, his opponent, called on him to drop out, citing Hedrick’s ownership of several development properties which he has been attempting to annex to Germaine for several years.
    Walkingstick spoke up at a meeting of the planning committee, creating something of a stir when he refused to sit down after committee Chair Angela Arratola ruled him out of order. Walkingstick, who has been frequentlly known to ignore Mr. Roberts rules, instead presented his case against Hedrick.
    Arratola told this reporter after the meeting, “Walkingstick is a lunatic. His performance here tonight shows he is not suitable for a seat on the City Council.”
    When told of Arratola’s comment, Walkingstick stood by his actions, accusing Ms. Arratola of being “one of Hedrick’s real estate goons.”
    “It’s the only way someone like me can be heard,” Walkingstick said in defense of his behavior.
    Walkingstick also took the occasion to announce another annual “Indigenous Rights Day” demonstration on October 5th, this year at city hall, “to protest that butcher Columbus, and let Mr. Hedrick know who really owns his land.”



Howard is back from Euro-style vacation

by Howard Applegate
    Due to the need of a vacation, The Germaine Truth was silent during most of the past month. We decided to try out the European-style vacation: take off the entire month of August. We couldn’t afford to relax on the French Riviera, so we settled for the sands of our own backyard, where we have tomatoes, cucumbers and hot chile peppers to attend to. And although Susie had volunteered to keep the news coming, Margie was insistant that we all take a vacation.
    The vacation experience? While I’m not ready yet to become a full-blown socialist, having a month off sure was nice! And not much happened during the month that the gossip grapevine couldn’t handle very well.
    Now we’re back, and ready to tackle another year.



Madame Zorro

The Stars Over Germaine
horoscope for September

In general, the stars over Germaine are exhilerating.

Aries
(March 21-April 20)

You are young and life is changing very fast–or you are middle-aged and the years are picking up steam–heading God knows where, yet you dream of changes, of a new country, or at least a new view out your window. That significant relationship you’ve been trying to keep on track will show signs of improvement as the month nears an end. Not a piece of cake, but a definite positive change.

Taurus
(April 21-May 20)

Big old jupiter has moved in and you are beginning to relax. The way the election is going right now those obstacles you’ve been swinging a bat at may begin to dissolve. But there won’t be any money coming in for awhile or going out either. After the 2nd week of the month things will change. Your creativity will blossom and you will find a way to get that “donation” to the right party for the most productive ends.


Gemini
(May 21-June 20)

You’ve never met a project you could resist have you? Now you are surrounded by partially painted rooms, piles of scrap material, a rug on a loom gathering dust and now you’re taking French lessons down at Mary of the Immaculate Heart on Wednesday evenings after dinner. Do not despair, this month you have the opportunity to take advantage of the Virgo Sun linking with Mercury to be more discriminating in your choices–now is the time to focus your great analytical mind and solve that riddle surrounding the disappearance of that family loved one.


Cancer
(June 21-July 22)

All your life you’ve been doing what is expected of you. Status quo has been your beat. Could be your theme song–if it were a song. Uranus is shaking things up, girl! (or boy!, but probably girl). This month is going to be the beginning of a whole new direction for you. Things you start in motion now will lead to solving that mystery set in motion so long ago which you have been so carefully avoiding for so long. You’re going to go places–Portland, probably, and learn things.


Leo
(July 23-Aug. 22)

Venus has got a hold of you like a comfortable blanket on a cold winter’s night. Considering your age this is as good as it gets. There’s money in it, too, maybe. No point in pining for what you’ve lost, or what you’ve done, but much could be gained by giving in to the influence of love this month.


Virgo
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

It’s always good to know that the cosmos is behind you. That stupendous new idea you have–go with it. Follow that lead, that garden path. Don’t let the handbasket holders holler you down. Let your enthusiasm carry you. There is real reward at the end of this rainbow.


Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The planet Mars is entering your sign and I’m not saying you don’t know how to stand up for yourself, but this month you’ll really learn about the rewards of assertiveness. In the long term Venus is up to her tricks and will impact next month following up on something starting right here, right now. Think about your health. Those desserts you love–crême brulé–need to cut back, sweetie.


Scorpio
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Jupiter is on the move and its weight is bearing a big load for you–instead of bearing down on you. In fact that problem you’ve been wrestling with for several months is going to begin to shape up into a beneficial situation. Saturn and Neptune are also at work and these are rough customers–Watch out! There will be tensions in your personal life–maybe in your work–but being self-employed, this is frankly a bit of a puzzle to me, nevertheless, it looks like a balancing act between two options or a matter of a fork in the road. You’ll get the upper hand in the end.


Sagittarius
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Though Venus and Pluto (poor abandoned planet) are moving in at the start of September and have potential to be positive influence on love and finances–your big plans for augmenting your bank account may prove to be too big for your resources to pull off. Robbing a bank is risky–let’s face it. The intuitive moon is ruling your choices and your more logical gang members are going to resist your strategy. At the end of the month you will want to see more of your old buddies and family and you’ll have lots of names on your jail visitors list.


Capricorn
(Dec.22-Jan. 19)

It’s been a long battle but at last you begin to feel the curtain lifting, the meds taking effect. Still you might miss that surreal patina which has defined your life at the edge of the woods. Things haven’t gone your way for a long time, but you’ve been working hard. All those sessions will bear fruit. I’m not talking normalcy, functionality is good enough, isn’t it?


Aquarius
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You’ve been surrounded by shadows all our life, but you’ve kept doggedly persevering, hlding strong, keeping the faith, etc. ad nauseam. Everyday this month is going to bring new revelations. It’s hard to see in the middle of struggle, but you’re on the right path. When your Mother-in-law tries to tell you how to hang a curtain, swallow your urge to kill her, find common ground. Hang with people you can trust and have fun.


Pisces
(Feb. 19-March 20)

There is a special month and you don’t have too many left. There will come news to you this month the effect of which will last the rest of your life. At last you will know what happened–well at least where the body might be buried. Trust yourself and make that move. Remember–there are no coincidences.


If Your Birthday Is in September
Chances are there is no better time than the present. Think about it. What can you do with the past anyway, it’s past. The future, in the words of Virgina Woolf, is dark. Now, right now. This September, this brilliant transition month when we shed the heat and ennui of summer and step into chill Autumn, invigorated by everything, the air, the call of geese, the sweet smell of leaves your neighbors are burning illegally, the glorious silence lasting from the first bell of school to the moment when they come rushing home–you’re glad to see them, but glad to see them go, too. Ah, September, always your favorite month. Go do something really unforgettable.

Disclaimer: This horoscope is presented for entertainment purposes only. The Germaine Truth does not endorse any particular system of divination.