Saturday, April 07, 2007
Not so keen ...
... Bloggery Birthday.
So Bryan thinks himself "emotionally-crippled" and I routinely describe myself as shallow. What a pair!
So Bryan thinks himself "emotionally-crippled" and I routinely describe myself as shallow. What a pair!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Attention C.S. Lewis fans ...
... and there are many of those: Shadowplay. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
Richard Dawkins won't like this ...
... but who cares? Einstein & Faith. (Hat tip, Joe of New York.)
"There are people who say there is no God," he told a friend. "But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views."
"What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos," he explained.
This runs counter to what Dawkins has to say about Einstein in The God Delusion.
"There are people who say there is no God," he told a friend. "But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views."
"What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos," he explained.
This runs counter to what Dawkins has to say about Einstein in The God Delusion.
Trumpets and drums, please ...
... Sally Van Doren Receives the Walt Whitman Award.
Here's her poem April.
And here's info on the Walt Whitman Award.
Here's her poem April.
And here's info on the Walt Whitman Award.
On the verbal front ...
... Word News.
I certainly agree about "comedic." Where the hell did that ever come from? But I think Bryan can relax about Amanda ever developing any literary self-awareness - though I've been wrong before.
I certainly agree about "comedic." Where the hell did that ever come from? But I think Bryan can relax about Amanda ever developing any literary self-awareness - though I've been wrong before.
For Good Friday ...
... something from John Donne. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I think it worth calling these lines of Eliot from "East Coker":
The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood—
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.
Though my own feeling on this day is best put by Donne:
That Thou remember them some claim as debt;
I think it mercy, if Thou wilt forget.
I think it worth calling these lines of Eliot from "East Coker":
The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood—
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.
Though my own feeling on this day is best put by Donne:
That Thou remember them some claim as debt;
I think it mercy, if Thou wilt forget.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Finding roots online ...
... The Electronic Book of Stothards.
I suppose this as good a time and place as any to register one my pet complaints, especially since, in this case, I'll be complaining about myself. In the headline to this post I refer to "roots." And we have all heard about people looking for or finding said roots. But this is of course nonsense. If you have been transplanted, you have first of all been uprooted. You take your roots with you or you die. What you seach for - and may find - is the soil you (or rather your ancestors) were originally planted in.
I suppose this as good a time and place as any to register one my pet complaints, especially since, in this case, I'll be complaining about myself. In the headline to this post I refer to "roots." And we have all heard about people looking for or finding said roots. But this is of course nonsense. If you have been transplanted, you have first of all been uprooted. You take your roots with you or you die. What you seach for - and may find - is the soil you (or rather your ancestors) were originally planted in.
Getting it wrong ...
... Alger Hiss was innocent! (Not)
I link to this because it gives me an opportunity to remind people that Sam Tanenhaus, editor of the New York Times Book Review, wrote a splendid biography of Whittaker Chambers, which I reviewed. In those days one could review a book at some length, so I won't quote the whole thing, just the last few graphs:
In 1992, Russian Gen. Dmitri A. Volkogonov announced that a search of KGB files offered no evidence that Hiss was ever a Soviet spy. But some weeks later the general admitted that the search had been cursory, that many files had been destroyed and that he could not, in any event, speak for other Soviet intelligence agencies. Moreover, evidence for Hiss' involvement did turn up in communist archives in Hungary. Then, in 1993, declassified State Department documents indicated that a security investigation in 1946 had revealed that Hiss had procured top secret reports - on atomic energy and China policy among others - that he was not authorized to see. Finally, a Soviet cable dating from 1945 made mention of a Soviet agent in the State Department who had attended the Yalta Conference - as Hiss did.
It is hard not to conclude that Harry Truman, who initially dismissed the matter as ``a red herring,'' was on the money when he later said of Hiss to Dean Acheson that ``the s.o.b. . . . is as guilty as hell. ''
So why did Hiss persist? Tanenhaus thinks that even Chambers, who portrayed Hiss as ``a principled revolutionary, nearly heroic in his dedication to the great cause,'' failed to take the proper measure of the man. ``The salient fact of Hiss' career,'' Tanenhaus observes, ``was not self-sacrifice but opportunism. '' (Hiss' wife, Priscilla, later spoke bitterly of her husband's willingness ``to sacrifice other people, including me,'' for his vindication. ) As Tanenhaus sees it, Hiss' aim was simply to preserve ``an endangered reputation. ''
Still, to many, Hiss was a martyr and Chambers a pariah. As Chambers noted in Witness: ``No feature of the Hiss case is more obvious, or more troubling . . . than the jagged fissure . . . between the plain men and women of the nation, and those who affected to act, think and speak for them. It was . . . in general the `best people' who were for Alger Hiss . . . the enlightened and the powerful . . . who snapped their minds shut. . . . ''
In attempting to explain ``this curious disjunction,'' Tanenhaus cites critic Leslie Fiedler, who traced it to ``the implicit dogma of American liberalism'' that in any political drama ``the liberal per se is the hero. '' The Partisan Review's Philip Rahv put it more bluntly: The pro-Hiss faction ``fought to save Hiss in order to safeguard its own illusions. ''
I link to this because it gives me an opportunity to remind people that Sam Tanenhaus, editor of the New York Times Book Review, wrote a splendid biography of Whittaker Chambers, which I reviewed. In those days one could review a book at some length, so I won't quote the whole thing, just the last few graphs:
In 1992, Russian Gen. Dmitri A. Volkogonov announced that a search of KGB files offered no evidence that Hiss was ever a Soviet spy. But some weeks later the general admitted that the search had been cursory, that many files had been destroyed and that he could not, in any event, speak for other Soviet intelligence agencies. Moreover, evidence for Hiss' involvement did turn up in communist archives in Hungary. Then, in 1993, declassified State Department documents indicated that a security investigation in 1946 had revealed that Hiss had procured top secret reports - on atomic energy and China policy among others - that he was not authorized to see. Finally, a Soviet cable dating from 1945 made mention of a Soviet agent in the State Department who had attended the Yalta Conference - as Hiss did.
It is hard not to conclude that Harry Truman, who initially dismissed the matter as ``a red herring,'' was on the money when he later said of Hiss to Dean Acheson that ``the s.o.b. . . . is as guilty as hell. ''
So why did Hiss persist? Tanenhaus thinks that even Chambers, who portrayed Hiss as ``a principled revolutionary, nearly heroic in his dedication to the great cause,'' failed to take the proper measure of the man. ``The salient fact of Hiss' career,'' Tanenhaus observes, ``was not self-sacrifice but opportunism. '' (Hiss' wife, Priscilla, later spoke bitterly of her husband's willingness ``to sacrifice other people, including me,'' for his vindication. ) As Tanenhaus sees it, Hiss' aim was simply to preserve ``an endangered reputation. ''
Still, to many, Hiss was a martyr and Chambers a pariah. As Chambers noted in Witness: ``No feature of the Hiss case is more obvious, or more troubling . . . than the jagged fissure . . . between the plain men and women of the nation, and those who affected to act, think and speak for them. It was . . . in general the `best people' who were for Alger Hiss . . . the enlightened and the powerful . . . who snapped their minds shut. . . . ''
In attempting to explain ``this curious disjunction,'' Tanenhaus cites critic Leslie Fiedler, who traced it to ``the implicit dogma of American liberalism'' that in any political drama ``the liberal per se is the hero. '' The Partisan Review's Philip Rahv put it more bluntly: The pro-Hiss faction ``fought to save Hiss in order to safeguard its own illusions. ''
No sympathy for the big guy ...
... Museum Visitor Attacks $300G Painting in Milwaukee.
"[The man] was kicking it, aiming his blows at the head of Goliath, and then he pulled it off the wall and started kicking it," Gordon said.
"[The man] was kicking it, aiming his blows at the head of Goliath, and then he pulled it off the wall and started kicking it," Gordon said.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
In this corner ...
... Words at noon; Councillor suggests a battle between poet laureates. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Why experience trumps all theories ...
... because The Truth Is Always Concrete. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Orwellian developments ...
... Talking CCTV and the Executioner's Smile
"This is grotesque, vile, a move to infantilise yet further an already infantile electorate and yet another gimmicky evasion of serious policy choices."
But help may be on the way: Talking CCTV 2: The Klingon Solution.
"This is grotesque, vile, a move to infantilise yet further an already infantile electorate and yet another gimmicky evasion of serious policy choices."
But help may be on the way: Talking CCTV 2: The Klingon Solution.
Calling Dave Lull ...
... Google vs. Microsoft: Do you want Google to be your ‘librarian’? (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Boy, would I love to see Raggs ...
... Animal TV Criticism.
In the interest of full disclosure, I confess to having dined on kangroo steak the other night.
In the interest of full disclosure, I confess to having dined on kangroo steak the other night.
Talk about Carthusians ...
... INTO GREAT SILENCE Q &A with Father Michael Holleran . (Hat tip, Joe of New York,)
Murder, murder everywhere ...
... Clive James on Crime fiction from all over. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
What has science ever done for us?
... well, check out Raymond Tallis's Longer, Healthier, Happier?
Human Needs, Human Values and Science. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Human Needs, Human Values and Science. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Monday, April 02, 2007
The uses of poetry ...
... are greater than you may think: The Shore Dimly Seen. (Hat tip, Christine Klocek-Lim.)
"Start with the sun ...
... and the rest will slowly, slowly happen," D.H. Lawrence wrote at the end of Apocalypse. Well, maybe not so slowly. Consider Coronal mass ejection.
Something I missed ...
... that has important implications: David Vs. Goliath U.
Money quote: "... I suspect that the struggles at Dartmouth presage similar happenings around the nation. Despite talk about 'relevance' in the 1970s, higher education has for the past several decades become more insular, and less responsive to the interests of alumni, taxpayers and even students. Administrators have managed to secure larger budgets and less accountability - every bureaucrat's dream. "
Money quote: "... I suspect that the struggles at Dartmouth presage similar happenings around the nation. Despite talk about 'relevance' in the 1970s, higher education has for the past several decades become more insular, and less responsive to the interests of alumni, taxpayers and even students. Administrators have managed to secure larger budgets and less accountability - every bureaucrat's dream. "
... AA Gill on 'The Great Global Warming Swindle' (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Here, by the way, Gill's piece: A friendlier brand of reality show.
Here, by the way, Gill's piece: A friendlier brand of reality show.
Congratulations ...
... to Vikram Johri, who has a piece in the Washington Times: Religious zeal, a cautionary tale.
May as well start the day ...
... A Happy, Incoherent Post that has nothing to do with books, but does include a link that Pete Townshend felt a need to comment on.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Dramatic poetry ...
... Sasha Dugdale on the poets who made the shortlist of her exercise on dramatic poetry. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Penguin sure liked his book ...
... and so they're Going to Court on Plagiarism Charges. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Blogging has been sporadic ...
... and will continue to be, because I have so many other things to do that I can only blog in fugitive moments. Back whenever.
Worth reading, for sure ...
... In The Sunday Times...
Two comments: Philadelphia is on its way to getting casinos (our own private hells). And I work in an office - the same one for nearly 27 years - and I'm not sure if office fiction is all that accurate.
Two comments: Philadelphia is on its way to getting casinos (our own private hells). And I work in an office - the same one for nearly 27 years - and I'm not sure if office fiction is all that accurate.
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... I spend time with Dante investigating murder in Florence: Medieval poet an unlikely crime sleuth. (I think it worth noting that I would have overlooked this book if Maxine had not alerted me to it. Another example of how blogging can be a help in covering a beat.)
... David Hiltbrand spends time with Edgar Allan Poe sleuthing in Manhattan: Poe stars in a 19th-century Manhattan murder mystery.
... Karl Kirchwey looks at Derek Walcott's Selected Poems: Derek Walcott selection invites deeper reading.
Glenn Altschuler gets acquainted with a man who was generous to the U.S.: The man who endowed 'nation's attic' Well-told mystery, psychological study of lossYoung Adult Reader | Anderson gives razor-sharp look at painfully troubled family.
Finally, Carlin Romano thinks intellectuals - at least in Russia - ain't what they used to be:
During the past week: Russia's culturati a pale imitation of worthies of 'Utopia'.
... Sandy Bauers took a closer look at pigeons: Dirty birds, and history's darlings .
... Theopolis Fair thought Michael Honey's Going Down Jericho Road well worth reading: A vivid account of the Memphis strike, King's last fight.
And Jen Miller thought Walter Kirn's Net novel was better online: Book Review | A Net novel suffers in translation to paper form.
If you're having trouble finding it, here's Inquirer Books.
... David Hiltbrand spends time with Edgar Allan Poe sleuthing in Manhattan: Poe stars in a 19th-century Manhattan murder mystery.
... Karl Kirchwey looks at Derek Walcott's Selected Poems: Derek Walcott selection invites deeper reading.
Glenn Altschuler gets acquainted with a man who was generous to the U.S.: The man who endowed 'nation's attic' Well-told mystery, psychological study of lossYoung Adult Reader | Anderson gives razor-sharp look at painfully troubled family.
Finally, Carlin Romano thinks intellectuals - at least in Russia - ain't what they used to be:
During the past week: Russia's culturati a pale imitation of worthies of 'Utopia'.
... Sandy Bauers took a closer look at pigeons: Dirty birds, and history's darlings .
... Theopolis Fair thought Michael Honey's Going Down Jericho Road well worth reading: A vivid account of the Memphis strike, King's last fight.
And Jen Miller thought Walter Kirn's Net novel was better online: Book Review | A Net novel suffers in translation to paper form.
If you're having trouble finding it, here's Inquirer Books.
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