DEBATE AT LOLITA BAR: "New Orleans and Ground Zero" (with 4 Seavey articles)

One last time before fissioning into two separate, mighty entities, Jinx and the Lolita Bar Debates I host summon you (and suggest those who receive these e-mails only via the Jinx Yahoo list, with “[jinxlist]” at the start of the subject header, e-mail me to be on the henceforth separate debate e-list), especially interested Louisianans and urban explorers:

Wed., Dec. 6 (8pm), join a discussion of ruination and rebuilding in New Orleans and at Ground Zero in Manhattan, moderated by Michel Evanchik and featuring:

–Science and medical writer Marilynn Larkin on the topic of evacuation and disaster preparedness

–New Orleans native, writer, and Epicurious editor Jolene Bouchon on Katrina vs. her family

–Proof Magazine editor Stephen Davis on his vision for making Ground Zero usable again

That’s 12/6 at 8pm, downstairs at Lolita Bar (free admission, cash bar), 266 Broome St. (at Allen St.) on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, one block south and three west of the Delancey St. Subway stop.

Those who can’t join us might still enjoy an old piece I did for Proof about Rawhide Kid, by the way:

http://www.proofmagazine.com/e01_comics.html

And check out these new articles I wrote (three with the help of the Phillips Foundation) on (1) superheroes and eugenics (and kicking the comic-collecting habit at last), (2) crazed primates, (3) the real depth of the problem of trying to limit government, (4) and — in keeping with the theme of our 12/6 event — Ground Zero and architectural good taste:

http://metaphilm.com/philm.php?id=485_0_2_0_M

http://radaronline.com/features/2006/11/monkey_menace.php

“Does Anybody Really Know How to Limit Government?”

http://reason.com/news/show/116813.html

You may have seen some of these if you’ve checked out the still-skeletal http://ToddSeavey.com — which will be magically transformed into the real blog it always dreamt of being by New Year’s (when 2007 ushers in more debates, real blogging, and more monthly bar gatherings — separate from and unrelated to the ones described above — at McGee’s for any interested non-left media folk not already signed up for those). In the meantime, happy Festivus and happy Chrismukkah, and by all means check out Allen Salkin’s year-old book and Gersh Kuntzman’s brand-new book (respectively) on those quasi-real holidays.

P.S. If you’re a family of avid Star Wars collectors, you are wanted for participation in an ABC primetime reality series (with actual money), so e-mail tara.fogarty[at]rdfUSA.com if you’re interested.

(NOTE: The above was sent as a mass e-mail in the days prior to the debate and was posted on this blog retroactively in April 2007. Click here for other Debates at Lolita Bar.)

Book Selection of the Month: “Thrill of the Chaste” by Dawn Eden/“A Christmas Caroline” by Kyle Smith

ToddSeavey.com Book Selections of the Month (December 2006):

Thrill of the Chaste by Dawn Eden

Science- and econ-loving guy that I am, I wouldn’t normally plug a book (aimed at Christian women) about how to avoid premarital sex while navigating the modern dating scene, but it just so happens an ex-girlfriend of mine wrote this and devoted a section to her failed attempt to sustain a relationship with an atheist boyfriend she calls “Tom” but who is actually called “Todd Seavey” (and indeed, I suggested that she use my real name so that I can get proper credit for my work, but at least some of you now know the truth, or at least that paltry portion of it given to the mind of mortal man to know, etc., etc.). [UPDATE: Dawn was one of our January debaters at Lolita Bar, up against former Salon.com sex columnist and author of I Love You, Let's Meet, Virginia Vitzthum.]

For a decidedly more cynical and materialistic take on New York-area singles life, though, the ladies might also want to buy:

A Christmas Caroline by Kyle Smith

As far as I know, I did not inspire any of the characters in this Manhattan-centered, fashion-crazed humorous retelling of the Dickens tale, but let the record show that the joke about childbirth being like something out of the movie Alien, from Kyle’s previous novel, Love Monkey (later turned into the short-lived sitcom by the same name), was my idea (and indeed was previously used by me in the campus comedy publication called the Brown Film Bulletin, back in my college days).