Thursday, February 29, 2024
Listen in …
… Five Poets Recite (Peter Carellini, t.m. thomson, Edward Sankey, Diane Sahms, Tobi Alfier) - Viewless Wings. (Hat tip, G. Emil Reuter
A haiku …
The crocuses fight
The snowstorms, the wind, the cold.
They have hope like me.
— Jennifer Knox
Something to think on …
Nothing lives long. Only the earth and mountains.
— Dee Brown, born on this date in 1908
Another poem …
Testimony
Trying to say things you are called upon
To say spares you having to say things
You’d rather not. So speech can form
A barrier against itself on your behalf.
Like Hamlet, you say what you must,
Disclosing what courtiers and lackeys need
To hear, boasting of crimes timid souls regard
As grand (though mere eruptions of rage
And appetite), keeping to yourself embarrassing
Desires likely to arouse contempt or scorn.
And yet …to slay a beggar or a king, filch
A candy from a maiden aunt, or idly crush
A swarm of ants beneath your foot —
These graceless gestures differ
Only in degree. Brave souls stay
The hand, lift the foot, mount the scaffold,
Mindful of a throne’s discomfort.
Take a look at these …
… Australia’s best photos of the month – February 2024. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Getting one’s bearings …
… The Path Is No Path: On Not Becoming a Poet - The Millions. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Something to think on …
Take care that old age does not wrinkle your spirit even more than your face.
— Michel de Montaigne, born on this date in 1533
A poem …
Daybreak
Now is the time
When darkness fades
And sparrows arrive
In the silence before
Things get going again
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Something to think on …
Books are the best friends you can have; they inform you, and entertain you, and they don't talk back.
— John Steinbeck, borh on this date in 1902
Tracking the decline …
… (16) Affirming our Children to Death.
… what is motivating the majority of parents to seek out the alternative of classical education is a horror at the progressive ideological agenda now being imposed upon students across this country. The purposeful advocacy of racial animus and lurid sexual experimentation that is now indisputably occurring in our schools rightfully disgusts parents, and stirs in them justified distrust towards the teachers and administrators who are supposed to be nurturing the healthy growth of their children.
Who knew?
…My idea of Hell? Covering for an ill teacher. By Sophia Waugh - The Oldie: (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Hmm …
… Mamet’s Map and Netchoice V. Paxton. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Acurious event in Supreme Court history happened last month: An amicus brief was filed that consists entirely of a short story. Although this kind of literary contribution to law may have occurred before, it is rare and notable—especially as it was written by none other than David Mamet. As put by Joshua Katz last week in the New Criterion, such a brief from such an author is a “surprising legal intervention.”
Monday, February 26, 2024
Blogging note …
I overslept this morning. So I am off to a late start. Blogging will resume when Inget back from mynwalk, which is say this afternoon.
Something to think on …
Go out in the world and work like money doesn't matter, sing as if no one is listening, love as if you have never been hurt, and dance as if no one is watching.
— Victor Hugo, born on this date in 1892
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Artful blogging …
… Life and Form: On Phillip Lopate’s “A Year and a Day.” (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Lopate used the blog format simply as a change of pace from his usual book and magazine work, though still with the object of conveying ideas and impressions rather than hawking a product (apart from himself). Unlike most blogs, Lopate’s was largely a lark. He did not need to concern himself with cost-effective marketing, brand positioning, lead generation, content monetization, web traffic, or readers’ changing desires and interests.
Getting his due …
… Rhapsodic on Rachmaninoff. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Rachmaninoff left Russia, but Russia never left him. "I am a Russian composer, and the land of my birth has influenced my temperament and outlook," he wrote. "My music is the product of my temperament, and so it is Russian music." These words stand as the epigraph for Fiona Maddocks's study of Rachmaninoff.
Religion and abstract art …
… LEAPS OF FAITH (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Joseph Masheck's latest book views modernism through a sacred lens
Saturday, February 24, 2024
So much for free speech and thought …
… COVID and Corruption of Science - Discussion with Stanford's Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
The people we should ignore are those who want to censure others.
Very interesting …
… Lev Shestov on the Fall of Man - by William F. Val
Having studied philosophy with a distinctly existentialist slant, I am of course familiar with and sympathetic to Shestov. But I think the key point, if you believe in a God who created the world and mankind, is that he gave us free will. He didn’t create us as automatons. So right from the start there was the possibility that we would choose wrong. It was a risk God was willing to take. And his Son paid a high and awful price to save us from the consequences of that.
Hmm …
… Why Hitch Still Matters: On Christopher Hitchens’s “A Hitch in Time” (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I always enjoyed reading or watching, but I don’t think he new this country as well as he thought he did.
Step by step …
… Walking with John Cage | John Wilson | First Things. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I just got the Kindle version. I still do as much walking as I can.
Something to think on …
He who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven.
— Wilhelm Grimm, born on this date in 1786
Friday, February 23, 2024
Something to think on …
A scientific approach means knowing what one knows and what one doesn't. Absolute or complete knowledge is unscientific.
— Karl Jaspers, born on this date in 1883
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Have a look …
… The week around the world in 20 pictures | Art and design | The Guardian. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Sounds very interesting …
… The Vanishing Woman by Kelly Dean Jolley - Books of My Heart. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Kelly Dean Jolley can turn contemporary into nostalgic classic with the turn of a phrase.
Let’s get to know …
… The Poet Whose Writing Will Be Launched Into Space | TIME:
WOMEN OF THE YEAR (hat tip, Rus Bowden,)
A poem for today …
… For Trayvon Martin — by Reuben Jackson, (Hat tip, Rus Bowden,)
Reuben Jackson passed away on February 16.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Worth watching for sure …
… Jack Whitehall 'delighted' Netflix resurfaces his forgotten BBC drama | What to Watch. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I just looked it up on Netflix, which said they don’t have it.
Well worth noting …
… and of course reading: Jesus's favourite reference when preaching: the Book of Psalms - Catholic Herald. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Who knew …
… Being a Public Librarian Can Be Dangerous Work, Why Don’t We Acknowledge That? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.’
Bloggng note …
My internet is back. So I will be beblogging as usual later today. Right now, I have to get ready for my mandatory morning walk.
Haven’t watched it …
… and don’t intend to… The False Christ of The Chosen - Crisis Magazine. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
If you discover a new Christ outside the Church, who has never been presented within the Church, then every red flag in your vicinity should be whirring like a helicopter; every antenna should be up and beeping. Any “new” Christ you discover at this point is simply “another Jesus” that St. Paul warns us about (2 Corinthians 11:4).
Something to think on …
We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.
— john Henry Newman, born on this date in 1891
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Blogging note …
My computer is still down, but I’m at the local tavern using theirs. But not for long. I just hope my tech guy comes by this afternoon.
Something to think on …
The wish to pray is a prayer in itself.
— Georges Bernanos, born on this date in 1888
Monday, February 19, 2024
Blogging note …
I am still without internet service. I hope to be back on sometime tomorrow, presuming my tech guy comes over.
Something to think on …
The closest thing to being cared for is to care for someone else.
— Carson McCullers, born on this date in 1917
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Blogging note …
I am writing this at the restaurant where Katherine and I are having dinner after Mass. my internet at home is down right now. So I won’t be blogging I get it fixed.
Something to think on …
I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God.' And the almond tree blossomed.
— Nikos Kazanzakis, bor on this date in 1883
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Heartbreaking…
… Navalny’s friend speaks out: “Yes, it’s scary to talk, it’s been scary for a long time.
The world seems to be going, as they used to say, to hell in a hand basket.
This seems to happening everywhere …
… Diversity and the death of polite society - The Conservative Woman.
Such trends are a prime illustration of why diversity is not our strength. Quite the opposite: it means that society has no sound basis from which to function. Fragmentation is the proper term for what has happened to our country in recent decades; ‘diversity’ is its dishonest, ideological moniker.
Zelda Fitzgerald
I'm not an expert on the relationship between Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. And I don't know how much of Zelda's famous novel -- Save Me The Waltz -- Scott rewrote. All I know is that I was happy to read the novel last week, and that the first part, especially, is excellent. Part of what I liked so much was the introduction of a new voice: this is the interwar period, the expatriate era, from the perspective of a woman, a wife, a mother, an artist. Sure, Zelda's writing was ornamented -- with lots of flourish and song; but that didn't bother me: instead, I thought that flourish contributed to her successful evocation of Europe between the wars. The second half of the novel, in which Alabama Beggs transforms into a succesful dancer and travels to Naples for her first major show, continued many of the themes introduced at the start of the book: this part, though, was perhaps more predictable in its arc. Still, I thought the work stood up against critique, and that Zelda had created a complete novel, one full of character and emotion. Ultimately, Save Me The Waltz is a sad book full of regret and nostalgia (and some humor, too). As a contribution to the expatriate cannon, it certainly deserves a place.
Author and musician …
… Anthony Burgess: The Devil Prefers Mozart. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Burgess often said that he thought of himself as a musician who happened to be a novelist. The Devil Prefers Mozart allows us to see the full range of his musical interests, both as a critic and as a composer. As you would expect from Burgess, these essays are written with the energy and panache that we associate with the best of his fiction
Something to think on …
Comparative religion is an admirable recipe for making people comparatively religious.
— Ronald Knox, born on this date in 1888
Worth pondering this days …
… C.S. Lewis and the Development of Doctrine - The Catholic Thing. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
What is required to make sound moral judgments, Lewis contends, is deep training in the virtues. For only when these virtues have been internalized and become second nature will we be able to make such determinations. As Lewis writes, referencing Plato’s Republic (and likely Dante as well), “Only those who are practicing the Tao will understand it. It is the well-nurtured man, the cuor gentil, and he alone, who can recognize Reason when it comes.”
Friday, February 16, 2024
Something to think on …
They know enough who know how to learn.
— Henry Adams, born on this date in 1838
Thursday, February 15, 2024
I can attest to that …
… No, the 1950s Weren’t ‘Dull’ and ‘Conformist.’ Neither Were the Movies. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Something to think on …
After you understand about the sun and the stars and the rotation of the earth, you may still miss the radiance of the sunset.
— Alfred Notth Whitehead, born on this date in 1861
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
A poem for today …
Flames of the Heart
By Jennifer Knox
Flames of the heart — can we crash and burn again?
Wind me up, then let my clock-work start!
Clench me, wench me, play with me, stay with me.
Be one in the echoing rooms of my heart.
I think of you in the grassy knoll
Where sweetly reign the bee and sparrow.
In our minds eye we can always go
Where times of love blot out life's sorrow.
Love's autumnal passage is a ride
Through fiery colors wistfully embraced,
Fond memories drip like honey from the lips
And slowly the saber rises from the lake.
Even as love's autumn leaves turn again
Flames of the heart, can we crash and burn again?
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Something to think on …
If each one of us could make just one other happy, the whole world would know happiness
— Georges Simenon born on this date in 1993
Monday, February 12, 2024
Time for a smile …
… Paul Davis On Crime: A Little Humor: Philadelphia's Four Major Food Groups.
I grew up with them and I live sround the corner from Pat’s and Genos.
A masterwork for sure
… Happy Birthday, Rhapsody in Blue - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Something to think on …
Something rubs off from everything you read, observe, and tinker with.
— R. F.. Delderfield born on this date in 1912
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Good for him …
… and for us: He Hunts Sloppy Scientists. He’s Finding Lots of Prey.
Meet Sholto David, whose error-spotting has raised a question: If researchers aren’t getting the little things right, what else might be wrong?
An American master …
… Capote’s children. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
It’s a minor point, but Capote died at 59, about a month before his 60th birthday.
Something to think on …
So multiverse or not, we still have to come to terms with the origin of the laws of nature. And the only viable explanation here is the divine Mind.
— Anthony Flew, born on this date in 1923
Not surprising …
… The Best Writing Advice I’ve Ever Read Comes From Robert Frost.. (Hat tip,mDave Lull.)
Saturday, February 10, 2024
RIP …
… Hank Bradford Dies: Head Writer On Johnny Carson’s ‘The Tonight Show’ Was 88. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I’m glad this happened …
… So-called fact-checking site was embarrassed into telling the truth about Biden - Unmuzzled News.
I gave up on Snopes awhile ago.
The dangers of ooera …
… The Imaginary Operagoer: A Memoir | The Hudson Review. (Hat tip, Dave lull.)
I was raised among Italians and Mexicans, all deeply Catholic, even the atheists. Yet they half agreed with the Puritans. Opera crossed some boundary. It might not be depraved, but it was virulent in its pretention and sentimentality.
Re-evaluation …
… Joan Didion From the Couch - Joseph Epstein, Commentary Magazine. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Far from hiding or working around this depression, Joan Didion wallows in it. In the preface to Slouching Toward Bethlehem, she reports: “I am so physically small, so temperamentally unobtrusive, and so neurotically inarticulate.”
Something to think on …
The greatest pleasure I know, is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.
— Charles Lamb, born on this date in 1775