I have never been a fan of Joe Biden. But I am dismayed at the commentary I have seen regarding his unfortunate performance at last night’s debate. How about we put away the politics? This is a fellow human suffering from a condition any of us could fall victim to. Why can’t we just pray for him?

Spotlight on POTUS …

… The good, the average, the bad, and the worst.

Friday’s poem At Gawgawgamie River Soup …

… It will look as though I am flying into myself.

God bless America …

… Once upon a time in the White House

Something to think on …

Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate....It supplies us with a flow of sustaining power in our daily lives.

— Alexis Carrel, born on this dare in 1873

Worth pondering …

… Many Older Adults Are Still Taking Daily Aspirin Despite Recent Warnings Not To, Study Finds | The Epoch Times.

My cardiologist advised me to continue taking it.

In case you wondered …

… How Solzhenitsyn Found Himself—and God. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Soviet conditions, Solzhenitsyn came to understand, followed directly from materialism and atheism. If people are nothing but material objects, if there is nothing resembling what we call the soul, then concepts like “the sacredness of human life,” “human dignity” and “the inviolability of the person” are merely bourgeois mystification.

Sound counsel …

… (18) Two Worries about Meditation - by William F. Vallicella.

A word for today …

… Profundity - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Thursday, June 27, 2024

I fear ‘tid so …

… What’s Missing from Journalism: Journalists.

RIP …

… Kinky Friedman, Texas satirist, dies at 79 | The Texas Tribune.

…Another poem at Gawgawgamie River Soup …

… An abecedarian for “S” on Wednesday at GRS

Response to invasion …

… POTUS orders U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea.

Imagine …

… Wednesday’s poem on Gawgawgamie River Soup.

Something to think on …

A great many things which in times of lesser knowledge we imagined to be superstitious or useless, prove today on examination to have been of immense value to mankind.

— Lafcadio Hearn, born on this date in 1850

In case you wondered …

… (18) Renowned book scholar Jonathan Rose on Who Read Playboy.

A poem for today …

… Louis Simpson Walt Whitman at Bear Mountain

A word for today …

… Osculate - Word Daily,

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

More Woke crap …

…Biden's radical Judge just punished a middle-schooler for the most absurd reason ever - Pro Life Press.

I remember when Oakland was a cool town …

… Why Did the FBI Raid the Home of Oakland's Mayor?

Of course, that was a while ago.

Before he became Catholic …

…Bicentenary of first sermon by one of the greatest preachers in modern times: St John Henry Newman - Catholic Herald. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Someone everyone should study. The Church is in a bad way these days.wish he we were here.

There’s a simpler explanation …

…De Niro, Charlamagne Highlight Trump Derangement Syndrome.

These are people who enjoy celebrity, but have no more political expertise than the average citizen. I don’t care what they think and wish they would keep their opinions to themselves.

Coded information …

… Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing makes history in Ohio

Wednesday’s poem at Gawgawgamie River Soup …

… Life must go on; I forget just why

Something to think on …

To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.

— Pearl S. Buck — born on this in 1892

A word for today …

… Kine | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Here’s where we find ourselves …

… Crime and Punishment in the 21st Century.

Important Connections …

… Remembering the American Heritage magazine, David McCullough, and the Johnstown Flood.

Great American classic

… Remembering “the greatest Packard of them all”

Archive shrinks …

… Internet Archive forced to remove 500,000 books after publishers’ court win. (H tip, Dave Lull.)

Tuesday’s poem at Gawgawgamie River Soup …

…Baseball looks easy from a distance.

And so it begins …

… Communist armed forces smash into South Korea.

Another word …

… Numismatic - Word Daily.

Just so you know …

… (18) Crime and Punishment in the 21st Century.

Something to think on …

There is no swifter route to the corruption of thought than through the corruption of language

— George Orwell, born on this date in 1994

A word for today …

… Assay | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

…. To the Little Fkower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Monday, June 24, 2024

Too close for comfort …

…

The Classic Thriller That Put Alfred Hitchcock on the FBI’s Watchlist.

Monday morning’s poem …

… Monday morning’s poem.

Trouble with sonnets (sort of’) …

… Ordinary Genius-5.

Alienation and respect …

… The Elegiac X.J. Kennedy. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Rough language …

… Eloquent Contentiousness: On “Farnsworth’s Classical English Argument” (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Are they nuts?

… DHS Doc: Trump Supporters, Military, Religious People Most Likely Terrorists.

The military? Religious people?

Another word

… Lightsome | Word Genius.

A poem …

… Today’s Poem: Songs of the Soul, (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

End of peaceful coexistence …

… King Philip’s War begins with massacre in Massachusetts.

Something to think on …

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.

— Henry Ward Beecher, born on this date in 1813

Listen in …

… René Girard, Mimesis, and Conflict (with Cynthia Haven) - Econlib. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In case you wondered …

… The 20 Greatest English-language Poets of All Time and Why. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.(

A word for today …

… Gustatory - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

…. to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Here’s lookin’ at you …

… Having a Salena Zito Moment.

My first one was a Christmas gift …

… The history of an endangered but beloved species.

I pray he doesn’t …

… Will Pope Francis kill the Latin Mass? - UnHerd. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The poem I read on Sunday morning …

… About suffering, they knew no more or less than we do.

Another word …

… Accouter | Word Genius.

Something to think on …

Beauty is one of the rare things that do not lead to doubt of God.

— Jean Anouilh, born on this date in 1910

A word for today …

… Perorate - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Appalling …

… Illegal Animals Ravage Three Girls in Four Days; Democrat Harpies Laugh.

Finding your away around poetry …

… Navigating poetry’s tumultuous waters. (Hat tip, Dave Lull..)

Hardly surprising …

… Polls: Confidence in colleges and universities continues plummet to ‘new lows’

I must read this again …

… ‘TILL WE HAVE FACES,’ BY C. S. LEWIS (Hat tip, Dave Lull.’

Keeping the printers busy …

… Giving in to the urge to issue new paper currency.

A source of magic …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Sestina: Light.

Let us pray ~

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

A word for today …

… Delphic - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

Never do anything complicated when something simple will serve as well. It's one of the most important secrets of living.

— Erich Maria Remarque, born on this date in 1898

Friday, June 21, 2024

Down the aisle to tie the knot …_

|…June 21st weddings for two future U.S. presidents.

Claire Keegan

Because I'd recently read Kairos, winner of this year's International Booker Prize, the Internet suggested that I read the work another acclaimed contemporary European author, Claire Keegan. And so I obliged: this time having picked up Small Things Like These.

Let me start by saying that this novel is more of a novella, and that it's been very well received. In many ways, this praise is deserved: I agree that the book is spare, but exacting; it's beautiful without being precious. Every word is measured, and the result, if this is the sort of literary style you enjoy, is a novella that is almost perfectly constructed. Everything that needs to be said is included, and what's not made explicit lurks just below the surface.

But then, Small Things Like These felt to me like an unfinished work: just at the moment of conflict, the novel ends, leaving us to wonder what comes next. And to a certain extent, this can be envisaged. It's just that it would be have been satisfying if the plot had continued, and if the characters had been compelled to confront this conflict. As I say, they are not, and the result is a convincing ascent toward tension -- but one which ends without resolution. (To argue that the remainder can be left unspoken is not fully convincing to me.)

I won't be negative, though, because Keegan does pack a serious punch: this is a novella which functions on a number of levels: political, religious, cultural. There's identity and gender there, too. Ultimately, this is a book about Ireland: its history, its unspoken trauma. It is a book which can be read in a single sitting -- which is a relief of sorts because there is a lot here to unpack and process.

Indeed! …

… God bless that wonderful librarian in New York City who helped David McCullough with his early research.

Lionel pegs these days …

… Social Justice Against Smarts | Peter J. Leithart | First Things. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The Mental Parity (MP) movement begins its blitzkrieg through the institutions, inspired by the best-selling The Calumny of IQ: Why Discrimination Against “Dum People” is the Last Great Civil Rights Fight. It’s no longer permissible to speak about, or even to acknowledge, differences of intelligence. “Smart,” “stupid,” “dumb,” and all the related assemblage of evaluative terms are placed on the MP Index. CPS visits Pearson because her youngest child, Lucy, reports to a teacher that her mother uses these insulting words at home.

In memoriam …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Donald Sutherland, M*A*S*H And Hunger Games Actor, Dies at 88.

The man who knew about witch hunts …

… Playwright refuses to name suspected communists.

Something to think on …

Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer.

— Reinhold Niebuhr, born on this date in 1892

Another poem …

… Tadeusz Dąbrowski Hilltop.

A poem for today …

…. Hyla Brook. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Another word …

… Pied - Word Daily.

A word for today …

…. Artificer | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

The former newspaper of record …

…(18) NYC sees Trump was right - Don Surber

Once upon a time I wrote pretty regularly for the Times book section

I’m on his side …

…Archbishop Vigan� says he faces schism charges from Vatican's doctrinal office | National Catholic Reporter.

I’m no big fan of Pope Francis either, even though I’m Jesuit-trained and he8s a Jesuit. The Church seems in a bad way these days. Too woke.

RIP …

… Donald Sutherland, ‘Klute’ and ‘Ordinary People’ Actor, Dead at 88.

Preview of coming attractions …

… Looking at the past instead of the future.

First things first …

… Getting things started with a book review.

Something to think on …

Since when do you have to agree with people to defend them from injustice?

— Lillian Hellman, born on this date in 1905

Why aren’t the news channels telling you this?

… U.S. Navy battles attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Sounds intriguing …

… John Freeman’s Hit and Run is gorgeously crafted. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Just so you know …

… NASA Predicts Rare Nova Explosion This Summer.

Good news …

… (18) What Exists Exists - by William F. Vallicella.

Q&A …

… An Interview With Grace Paley - Boston Review. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

A poem …

… The NS Poem: On Rachmaninoff’s Birthday. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

A word for today …

… Succor - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little. Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The first of twelve books …

… Once upon a time there was a great flood.

In the beginning…

… Reading about the first people to walk the Earth.

Lost and found …

… A Legendary Missing World War II Plane Has Appeared in the Jungle After 80 Years. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

What a vast difference there is between knowing God and loving Him.

— Blaise Pascal, born on this date in 1623

Meow…

… One cat just leads to another: going from Jon to Garfield.

A word for today …

…Zwieback - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

RIP …

… (7) SFGiants on X: "It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93. https://t.co/Qk4NySCFZQ" / X

Read away …

… Paris Review - Writers, Quotes, Biography, Interviews, Artists.

Better days ahead …

… Conditions improved for Philadelphia residents.

Turning slower but longer …

… Music began playing longer on phonographs in 1948.

A word for today …

… Inveterate - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

Public toilets have a duty to be accessible, poetry does not.

— Geoffrey Hill, born on this date in 1933

Let us pra …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Monday, June 17, 2024

Fire rhem …

… Nolte: NYT, WaPo Team Up to Destroy Incoming WaPo Editor

Friends and brothers …

… The odd couple | Jeffrey Meyers | The Critic Magazine. (Hat tip, Dave. Lull.)

A word for today …

… Inveterate - Word Daily.

Required reading …

… John Hersey (b. June 17, 1914) wrote the book that “everyone able to read should read”

Don’t shoot until you see the white of their eyes …

… June 17, 1775 — despite their loss, inexperienced forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Something to think on …

Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.

— John Hersey, born on this date in 1914

Sunday, June 16, 2024

A word for today …

… Eldritch | Word Genius.

Good day for a long walk …

… It’s Bloomsday, and James Joyce fans are celebrating.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Something to think on …

Loneliness is dangerous ... because if aloneness does not lead to God, it leads to the devil. It leads to the self.

— Joyce Carol Oates, born on this date in 1938

Saturday, June 15, 2024

And here’s the evidence …

…Anecdotal Evidence: 'A Poem Calls For a Formal Reading'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The importance of noticing …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Observation.

A wotd for today …

… Amalgamate | Word Genius.

Savor the flavors …

… Rich fresh wine of June.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Friday, June 14, 2024

Influential writer’s birthday …

… She would write the book that would start the great war.

Haiku …

It's a life lesson:

The rose, lovely as it seems,

Might hurt you with thorns.

Jennifer Knox

Jenny Erpenbeck

It was not until recently that I became acquainted with the work of Jenny Erpenbeck, winner of this year's International Booker Prize. But these prizes, of course, drive attention. And this in case, for good reason: Erpenbeck's Kairos is a moving, dire, complete novel.

Part of what I most admired about the book is its symmetry: this is a love story that emerges under the shadow of two distinct German nations and which, perhaps not surprisingly, unravels as those nations become one. And more, it's a story about generations: about a young woman and an older man, and their attempts to bridge the history between them: the Second World War and the transition -- nearly immediate -- to a divided Germany.

Kairos, the god of "fortunate moments," is just that: the serendipity of social interaction: the random quality of love. For the first part of the novel, Kairos is everywhere: a love born of a fortunate moment becomes a web of fortunate moments, each more poignant and charged than the next. But then, these moments become something else: they represent the weight of time, of promises broken and partnership betrayed. There's considerable pain, loathing, and abuse in the second part of the novel: it's the unraveling of something fueled by passion but also by discretion, infidelity, and secrecy. The emotional pain uncovered by Erpenbeck is pointed, indeed.

And then, cast over it all, is the geopolitical maelstrom that was the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the eventual unification of the German states. This tectonic moment would test any relationship. But its significance tests this one -- between Katharina and Hans -- more than most because, in East Germany, collaboration was rampant. The result is that no one was truly who they were supposed to be, or who they were understood to be. And thus, when the state collapsed, so did its many unassuming agents, its small army of men and women as brittle, in the end, as the political body they served. Lovers were lovers, but they played many other roles, too. That division is what separates the novel in half.

This is a sharp, multi-layered, seductive novel: one of history, of love, and longing. I highly recommend Kairos as an entry into the work of Erpenbeck.

Hero and saint …

… Review: 'Cabrini' Depicts the Patron Saint of Immigrants.

The bad guys in this movie are the bureaucrats. And they’re pretty bad.

In remembrance of a reluctant astronaut …

… Rest in Peace: Albert II (d. June 14, 1949)l

Something well worth pondering …

… The Morning Briefing: The U.N. Is a Terrorist Haven That Needs to Be Abolished.

Something to think on…

I look back into past history, the stored experiences or products of the imagination. I look no further forward than the evening.

—Jerzy Kosinski, born on this date in 1933

Remembering when…

… It happened on this day in history: June 14, 1777.

I have proof of its presence …

… On the existence of the soul.

What does it mean to be?

… (18) Plato, Power, and Existence - by William F. Vallicella.

In memoriam …

… Martin Amis and the pursuit of pleasure - New Statesman. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Noteworthy event …

… POTUS addresses the nation on Flag Day.

A word for today …

… Inveterate - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Dawn …

Daybreak

Now is the time

When darkness fades

And sparrows arrive

In the silence. Before

Things get going again

Thursday, June 13, 2024

The joy of travel 0 …

…(18) Italian Adventure Part ll: Death, Weddings, and Florence..

June Poetry at North of Oxford …

… Three Poems by Robert Tremmel.

… Where The Yellow Rain Falls by Emma Grey Rose.

… Real Beauty Rarely Glitters by Gwil James Thomas.

… second coming By Allen Seward.

Another word …

… Tyro - Word Daily.

In search of lost times …

… Study hall and lunchtime in the high school library.

Hmm …

… Jesuit Plots - The American Conservative. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I am myself Jesuit-trained, but i often find Pope Francis underwhelming.

On the occasion of the poet’s birthday …

… Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

A word for today …

… Latitudinarian | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese- Full Prayer.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

And so it goes…

… This is the Hour of Lead —

The price of liberty …

… Two exceptions to amnesty were to be hanged.

Mostly talk …

… Snippets: Ethan Hawke’s Biopic about Flannery O’Connor. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

A man is whole only when he takes into account his shadow.

-— Djuna Barnes, born on this date in 1892

Fright night at the movies …

… Shooting begins on history-making horror film.

In search of lost time …

… Archeologist makes history on June 2, 1981.

A word for today …

… Lyceum - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

That celebrated jumping frog story …

… Time in California’s Gold Country started writer’s career.

Patriots or Traitors?

…. Committee of Five will change the course of history.

The thing is…

… The thing is…

History and fashion …

… Facing the Facts - The American Scholar. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The night is alive…

… In spite of everything, the stars.

A fresh look …

… Inside the mind of Franz Kafka - New Statesman. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Evanesce | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Monday, June 10, 2024

Wild game …

… Forfeits and Beer - BallNine.

They’re in the Army now!

… Important proposal in 1775 (and starting over in 2024)

Politically diverse …

… I Heard Ol’ Neal (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Sharper edges …

… Mark Twain’s Inconvenient Truths.

Serenity …

… Robert Smith, Bill Wilson, and “one day at a time” in 1935.

Something to think on …

The media ignores what is really going on.

— Nat Hentoff, born on this date in 1925

A word for today …

… Burgeon - Word Daily.

Sunday, June 09, 2024

RIP …

…; Celebrating David Boaz: A Luminary of Liberty, A Champion of Progress - FEE.

This is big …

… 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Acknowledges Plaintiffs’ Claim that COVID-19 mRNA Jab is NOT a Vaccine, But a Therapeutic

What is this world coming …

… UCLA Students Sue Over Appalling 'Jew Exclusion Zone' | Newsmax.com.

Maye somebody shoukd the First Amendment.

Another word …

… Univocal | Word Genius.

A word for today …

… Percipient - Word Daily.

The enduring question …

… Have you no sense of decency?

Road trip …

… Weekend adventure in Hannibal, Missouri.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Something to think on …

Historians are to nationalism what poppy-growers in Pakistan are to heroin-addicts: we supply the essential raw material for the market.

— Etic Hobsbaum, born on this date in 1917

Saturday, June 08, 2024

Warming to hus subject …

… How to Roast Yourself in Five Different Ways.

Scary …

… Postscript to Lost Neighbors by A. M. Juster (Michael J Astrue) - Scottish Poetry Library. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Getting underway …

… Mark Twain took a famous ride on this day in 1867.

Coincidence? Hmm…

… A memorable day when the clocks were striking thirteen.

Being alive …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: The Spot.

A word for today …

… Clerisy - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.

— Frank Lloyd Wright, born on this date in 1867

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flower — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Friday, June 07, 2024

Once upon a time …

… Do you remember this home entertainment innovation?

Past, present, and future …

… Lee introduces resolution (and I refocus on my bucket-list)

Our town …

… Paul Davis On Crime: In Philly, Even The Cops Get Robbed.

Visiting a masterwork …

… A Great Rock in a River. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond.

Gwendolyn Brooks, born on this date in 1917

Sure seems that way …

… It’s Time to Make a Strategic PR Pivot in Dealing with the Climate Change Issue.

Unless we incorporate sophisticated communication techniques and effective PR strategies, we will lose the AGW war — and that’s the direction we are heading

A word for today …

… Eidolon - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… to the Little Flowe — Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese.

Thursday, June 06, 2024

Hmm …

… 51pdYMUyjDL._SL1600_.jpg 530�960 pixels. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

How sad …

… The Philadelphia Free Library’s whole Author Events staff has resigned over workplace conditions. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I know Andy Kahan. He used to ask me to introduce authors. Great guy.

William Blake …

… Earth’s Answer.

A review of reviews …

… The classical temper: A study of James Joyce's Ulysses: Goldberg, S L: Amazon.com: Books. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Time for some crime …

… Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Moretti The Money Man'.

Another word…

… Synecdoche - Word Dailyl

A poem for today …

… Milo De Angelis — The Sounds That Arrived.

Scholarly satire …

…. ‘Loud-mouthed bully’: CS Lewis satirised Oxford peer in secret poems. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

“Lewis took an immediate and intense dislike to Wyld, partly because he considered the content of the lectures to be elementary and self-evident. But he also objected to Wyld’s manner: his snobbery and tendency to harangue his audience for coming in late, not concentrating and not knowing the answers to the questions he fired at them.”