Maggie and I have experienced the advantages and the pitfalls of subscribing to magazines over the internet.  A few times I’ve gotten really good deals that included about five or six magazines for cheaper than I’d have paid for one subscription.  It encouraged me to try some that I ended up really liking and some others, well, not so much.  Like Rolling Stone.  I don’t know which offends me more about Rolling Stone magazine, their strong political views or the fact that they have strong political views.

I mean, when I subscribed to Rolling Stone, I expected a magazine about music.  If they had book and movie reviews (which they do), then great, but primarily music.  I definitely didn’t expect it to have so much political content.  During this year’s 40th anniversary celebration, they’ve even dedicated whole issues to politics.  And what a liberal rag it is!  I guess I’m not surprised that a bunch of aging hippies would reminisce about the days of congregating on the Washington Mall, united, chanting slogans like “Make love, not war!” and “Ban the Bomb!” or tripping for days at week-long concerts where they knew they were making a difference, starting a revolution, and were never going to be like their parents.  It’s just not what I paid to read from a music magazine.

Another I also subscribed to, fortunately, did talk about music.  Unfortunately, it went out of print and my subscription had to be transferred to something else.  That’s how I ended up with Entertainment Weekly, fortunately a very good magazine, an easy bathroom read.  That’s also one of the negatives with ordering a bunch of magazine subscriptions at once online.  Some of the offerings don’t last very long and the companies I’ve used don’t have very good customer service.  I could never for certain know what was going on when a subscription would suddenly start or stop.  Worse still, all the mail in our neighborhood gets spread around the block.  It’s a regular occurrence to see the streets filled with people redelivering the mail about twenty minutes after the mail carrier has been through.  I never know if a subscription has ended, been cancelled, or if it’s sitting at a neighbor’s house.  I kid you not, one day two of my magazines were delivered to the fire station!  Joe down the street said he’d drop them by but I never saw them.

It could be worse though.  Maggie subscribed to People and it never even arrived.  The subscriptions start in like 6-8 weeks, so it was months before she realized there was something wrong and called.  It turned out that particular company didn’t offer People any more, so she had to transfer her subscription to another magazine.  All she wanted was People and it was so expensive that she now has like a fourteen year subscription to something she didn’t even want.  I wonder what she’ll get next when that magazine goes under in the next decade.

One magazine, Angels on Earth, came every two months and was a short subscription.  It ended too soon and I would have renewed if I had known but it just stopped showing up without any kind of renewal option.  Angels on Earth details stories from amateur contributors about how they feel blessed or thankful or connected to something bigger.  I’ll have to find it online and subscribe again.

Heroic Stories is a lot like Angels on Earth.  It, too, wants to “make the world a better place” through positive, uplifting stories, but it’s nonsectarian.  Angels on Earth can be a little too religious or literal when it comes to angels.  HeroicStories.com is inspiring in its simplicity.  The stories they share often pertain to our every day lives and offer ways to make a difference without much effort.  A recent story line and related discussion centered around the idea of keeping a few extra, cheap umbrellas in your car to give to a stranger in need.  I know I’ve passed people in the pouring rain and felt like I wanted to help, but stopped short of offering a ride to a stranger in the middle of nowhere.  With a little foresight and thanks to Heroic Stories, I can be ready to at least offer them some comfort.

http://www.HeroicStories.com

Top 10 List of recent iTunes purchases from listening to Pandora:

1. Dear Head on the Wall by Alejandro Escovedo
2. Thanksgiving by Jason Anderson
3. By Your Side by Coco Rosie
4. The Search by Dolorean
5. Another Lonely Day by Ben Harper
6. All Will Be Well by The Gabe Dixon Band
7. The Truth Comes Out by Corb Lund
8. Hoquiam by Damien Jurado
9. Sinnerman by Nina Simone
10. It’s Good to Be in Love by Frou Frou

The American Film Institute got its start in 1975 on the recommendation of the National Endowment for Arts and Humanities and legislation signed by then President, Lyndon Johnson. With funding from the NEA, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Ford Foundation (a non-profit organization created in 1936 by Edsel Ford, son of Ford Motors founder, Henry Ford), the AFI enlisted leading actors, filmmakers, and educators of the day to train new filmmakers in the art. Today, AFI maintains a world-renowned Conservatory, an Education Center, and an extensive catalog of Feature Films.

The AFI also maintains standing Top 10 and Top 100 lists of the Greatest Films of All Time. The most recent entry into the Top 10 list was from 1993, Schindler’s List, but I’m hoping 2007’s Superbad is going to crack the list in this year’s voting. The top 100 includes 2001’s Lord of the Rings (#50). The list are voted on yearly and the nomination list is already available for 2008. AFI site membership is free, but full Institute membership begins at $50 and includes access to databases, a commemorative booklet, a magazine, and tickets to the film festivals. Larger contributions will net tickets to the annual AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala.

http://www.afi.com/