Jeff Questad will be on hiatus for a bit, but he did send me the majority of these links. Because he’s a stand-up dude and Black Sabbath enthusiast.

We’re still taking submissions for Occupy Fringe, FYI. Send your poetry, essays, short fiction, or artwork to FringetheMagazine@gmail.com.

Lots of fun stuff to talk about from last week, and plenty of upcoming Occupy events all around the word. So spread the word, huh? And join in if you can. Your local Occupy group likely has Facebook and Twitter accounts.

– — This happened a few weeks ago, but I’m just seeing it now: Newt Gingrich being “mic-checked” during a speech in Iowa. I can’t decide how I feel about this one. On the one hand, anyone who wants to disrupt anything Newt Gingrich is doing has my support. I’d very much like it if the American people gave Newt plenty of free time with which to write more of those shitty alternate history novels. And this clip did make me grin from ear to ear. And giggle some more at that awkward oaf who knew he wanted to do something but couldn’t quite figure himself out.

But. Is this the right kind of action? Or does it bring negative attention and serve to reinforce what Fox Newsies say about protestors?

Not for me to judge, I guess. What do you guys think?

– — Here’s something I support unconditionally: a group of elderly women shutting down a Bank of America in Frisco. The self-named “Wild Old Women” looked so ferocious on approach that BoA staff barricaded themselves inside, so the grannies sat right down in front and protested. Against foreclosures, hidden/ridiculous fees, etc. You know, the usual complaints about Bank Scum of America.

I guess not all Occupiers are privileged white kids after all. Who knew?

– — “Occupy” has been named 2011’s Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society, beating out “FOMO”–which apparently is an acronym for “Fear Of Missing Out,” described on Urban Dictionary (my go-to) as “The fear you feel that you will miss out on something huge if you don’t do something/participate in an event.”

I doubt a word is allowed to win more than once, but that doesn’t mean Occupy can’t be the biggest word of 2012, too. Don’t miss out on this stuff, FOMOs and MOFOs.

– — Occupy Wall Street has been nominated for a Shorty. I don’t really know what a Shorty is, but it sounds cool. So, to all my shorties: get out the Shorty vote.

– — BREAKING NEWS from the Washington Post: D.C. is cold in the winter. (I can’t believe I buried my lead.)

But Occupiers are finding ways to stay warm. Many of them by … (drum roll) … (second drum roll) … going inside. Because this isn’t 1777-1778 Valley Forge.

Of course, not all Occupiers are allowed to go inside, and still others choose not to. Here, Adbusters, progenitor of this whole movement, gives a quick shout-out to these die-hards.

Don’t be shy about doing your part to contribute. Your local camp will take donations of blankets, stocking caps, hot cocoa. Cigarettes. And while you’re there, take a few minutes and talk to some of the Occupiers. See what they’re all about, get to know them, give ‘em a thank you.

– — Here’s some stuff Occupiers were planning for the primary in New Hampshire. (As of press time, only 1% of precincts had reported. Insert your own punchline.)

And a bit of OccupIowa’s doings during the Caucus.

– — The New York City Council last week passed a resolution decrying Citizens United (Corporations = People).

Speaking of which, here’s an ultra-fun flow chart from Mother Jones entitled “So You Want to Buy an Election.

Some background on Citizens United, if you can stomach it.

– — Nigerian Spring? Has a nice ring to it.

– — The Huffington Post has released an ebook titled OCCUPY: Why It Started. Who’s Behind It. What’s Next. Despite the intro from Huff Barf Herself, I’m intrigued. Here’s an excerpt.

The ebook is available for $5. I’d much, much rather you not even read it than buy it on Amazon, so please keep that in mind for me.

– — Here are some “reflections” on Occupy from folks like Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, and Alice Walker.

– –Plenty of upcoming Occupy events to mark on your calendars. Alternet has a list of 7 hotspots for 2012, including Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, and Chicago. Will the Midwest be a tinderbox this year?

Regarding Wisco and the Scott Walker recall petition: time’s a-wastin’, folks. For real. Friday’s the last day to get ‘em in. So get ‘em in.

– — And this is just a big fat list of future events to keep an eye on. Check your local group for details on how your hometown will participate.

• Occupy 4 Jobs, January 14-16 (in Philly, Baltimore, Boston, New York, hopefully others)
• Occupy the Dream, January 15 (in Chicago, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. More on Occupy the Dream.)
• Candlelight Vigil For Unity, January 15 (”Wherever You Are”)
• Occupy the Dream Federal Reserve Action, January 16 (13 U.S. Cities so far)
• Occupy Congress, January 17 (Transportation info)
• Occupy the Courts, January 20 (Federal courthouses across the country)
• International Day of Creative Action, February 12 (spawned in Australia, likely to spread)
• Occupy May Day, May 1 (General strike around the country/world. This one could be a biggie, ladies and gents)

If you’re a reporter and planning to cover any of these events, here’s an informative piece about your rights, from The Nation.

That’s it for this week, readers. Have we missed anything? Let us know below. And feel free to email news/events/links to me at FringetheMagazine@gmail.com.

Hey Occupiers: stay safe, stay warm. And stay.