Here’s the thing: I have never met Terry, but have only known him through correspondence and text messaging over the years. And I never exchanged even that much communication with Mrs. T., as Terry called her. But to have been Terry’s reader on his blog and his Twitter feed was to have known this couple as if they were old friends. As Mrs. T.’s conditioned worsened over the past week, Terry let me and his readers know. I would fall asleep at night praying for her, and wake up praying for her. This says exactly nothing about my sanctity, and everything about how much I love these two people, whom I’ve never met.
Wednesday, April 01, 2020
Lovely …
… Farewell, Mrs. T | The American Conservative.
Some science …
… Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis - The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
If I am reading this correctly, the overall fatality ratio seems to be 0·657%.
April Poetry and Videos and The Lou McKee's at North of Oxford …
… Getting to Philadelphia: New and Selected Poems by Thomas Devaney.
… Tricks of Light – New and Selected Poems by Thaddeus Rutkowski.
… The In(ter)vention of the Hay(na)ku – Selected Tercets 1996-2019 by Eileen R. Tabios.
… In Salem by Catherine Corman.
… I Have The Answer by Kelly Fordon.
… In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado.
… Poetry Videos to Get You Through April.
… The Lou McKee’s.
… Submissions are Open.
… Tricks of Light – New and Selected Poems by Thaddeus Rutkowski.
… The In(ter)vention of the Hay(na)ku – Selected Tercets 1996-2019 by Eileen R. Tabios.
… In Salem by Catherine Corman.
… I Have The Answer by Kelly Fordon.
… In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado.
… Poetry Videos to Get You Through April.
… The Lou McKee’s.
… Submissions are Open.
Appreciation …
… How G. E. M. Anscombe revolutionised 20th-century western philosophy | OUPblog. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
This piece could have used some proofing. It's Literae Humaniores, not Literae Humanities. And I hardly think we need to be reminded that the late Aristotle was an ancient philosopher.
Throughout her life, Anscombe was inspired by many philosophers, ancient and modern. Aristotle, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Thomas Aquinas were three key sources of inspiration. However, she created new and original work which revolutionised action theory and moral, religious and ethical philosophy.
This piece could have used some proofing. It's Literae Humaniores, not Literae Humanities. And I hardly think we need to be reminded that the late Aristotle was an ancient philosopher.
Something to think on …
I do not know any way to explain why God's grace touches a man who seems unworthy of it.
— Whittaker Chambers, born on this date in 1901
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Oh, my …
… how terribly, terribly sad: Hilary Teachout, R.I.P. | About Last Night. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Let us keep Terry in our prayers.
Hmm …
… LaurenceJarvikOnline: China, the World Health Organization, and Communism.
I have long been suspicious of WHO. The current situation has done nothing to change that.
I have long been suspicious of WHO. The current situation has done nothing to change that.
Confinement need not be solitary …
… books are companions: Beyond Eastrod : A guide to distraction for those of us who need to think about something other than the apocalypse.
By the time I was in grade school, my mother, my grandmother, and my older brother, were already leaving the house early in the morning, the first two to their factories, my brother to high school. So I learned early how to get along by myself. I made my own breakfast and lunch, read lots (no kids books, though), wandered the woods that surrounded our house, watching birds, learning the names of trees and flowers. I had a grand time. And, as Oscar Wilde said, "to fall in love with oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
Writing poetry …
… The Joy Of Play: Every Writer Has A Thousand Faces (10th Anniversary Ed.) By David Biespiel - The Rumpus.net. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I write mine in my head. I only write it down when it sounds right. In the case of longer poems, of course, that means in bits and pieces. Sort of like Wallace Stevens composing in his head as he walked home from the office. Poetry is better found outside than indoors.
Opportunists …
… Mountain goats take over Welsh town in coronavirus lockdown | Metro News.
They do look like solid citizens, though.
They do look like solid citizens, though.
Something to think on…
Another reason I think the novel will survive is that the reader has to work in a novel. In a film, you are presented with someone else's imagination exactly bodied out. The marvelous thing about a novel is that every reader will imagine even the very simplest sentence slightly differently.
— John Fowles, born on this date in 1926
Monday, March 30, 2020
Just so you know …
… Hong Kong Police Arrest Opposition Politician Under Colonial-Era Law - WSJ.
But don't you dare criticize the Chinese government.
Hmm …
… Beyond Eastrod : Faith and microscopes.
I agree with Tim. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is certainly entitled to its lack of faith, but it shouldn’t appropriate Emily Dickinson, about whom it apparently know nothing, on behalf of its cause.
De gustibis non est disputandum …
… The Tin Cannoisseur: The Road back to normal life will be a long one... (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
If you haven't read The Road, now probably isn't the best time. It's astonishing writing, certainly, but goodness me, it's bleak. "Emotionally shattering", "terrifying and beautiful", "a work of such terrible beauty that you will struggle to look away", said the critics.Not this reviewer, however. I actually didn't review it. I wrote about it because my boss asked me to. It had just won the Pulitzer and the paperback of it had just come into my office. I was paging through it and making unflattering comments. As it happens the review I ran — by whom I forget — was not favorable. Anyway here is the piece I wrote.
Roundup …
Make of these what you will. They come a wide variety of sources and seem to me worth considering.
… from The Atlantic: China Is Avoiding Blame by Trolling the World.
… Boris Johnson's government is furious with China and believes it could have 40 times the number of coronavirus cases it says.
… The Comprehensive Timeline of China’s COVID-19 Lies.
… from The Atlantic: China Is Avoiding Blame by Trolling the World.
Beijing is successfully dodging culpability for its role in spreading the coronavirus.… from The Guardian: Life after lockdown: has China really beaten coronavirus?
Residents and analysts doubt the near-zero transmission rate as restrictions are eased.… from The Diplomat: Can China’s COVID-19 Statistics Be Trusted?
From GDP figures to coronavirus counts, China’s government has a long history of manipulating data for political gain.
… Boris Johnson's government is furious with China and believes it could have 40 times the number of coronavirus cases it says.
… The Comprehensive Timeline of China’s COVID-19 Lies.
FYI …
… New Liturgical Movement: Collecting Information about Live-Streamed Masses. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Staying alive …
… Coronavirus Diary: New York, March 28–29 | R. R. Reno | First Things. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I can see, now, the tragic point of a joke going around in Israel. It runs something like this: Your grandfathers faced down the Nazis. Your fathers stood against the Arabs in war after war, paved roads, and drained swamps. You’re being asked to sit on your butts and watch Netflix. Do you think you can do this without screwing up?
Something to think on …
While it is true that commercial art is always in danger of ending up as a prostitute, it is equally true that noncommercial art is always in danger of ending up as an old maid.
— Erwin Panofsky, born on this date in 1892
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Many happy returns …
… Ted Gioia on Twitter — Happy 80th birthday to Astrud Gilberto. (Hat tip, Dave Lull)
Anniversary and appreciation …
… Get Shorty at 30: Dennis Lehane on Elmore Leonard's Hollywood satire | Books | The Guardian. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Here is my review of Mr. Paradise. And here's a piece I wrote about him: Crime paid this writer, in dollars and honors.
… I hung out with him twice, once in a bar in the midwest (a recovering alcoholic, he drank O’Doul’s with gusto), and the other time at a literary festival in a small town in Italy. Both times I was struck by what a dude he was. Cooler than almost anyone I’ve ever met. As cool as Chili Palmer, Raylan Givens, Ernest Stickley Jr or Vincent Mora – to name just a few of the laconic badasses who took centre stage at one time or another in his novels. The books were like the man – wry and observant, contemptuous of navel-gazing.I met him twice, both times when introducing him at the Free Library. He was indeed as cool as anybody I have ever met.
Here is my review of Mr. Paradise. And here's a piece I wrote about him: Crime paid this writer, in dollars and honors.
Amen, brother …
… Obiter Scripta, no. 81 – A Sunday of Liberty. (Hat tip, Dave :Lull.)
We have certainly seen this demonstrated in recent days.
Helpful hints …
… Making the most of isolation: Works of Mercy in an age of social distancing - Catholic Herald. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Our pastor has opened our church for private prayer. A friend and I went there this morning. Regarding this piece, as my Jesuit mentor used to say, it’s all about being good and kind, which sounds like something you would put into needlepoint, but in reality isn’t always that easy to do.
Growing wise …
… Nigeness: 'Where meaning has been found before'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
… being truly conservative, it is only 'a doctrine of a kind', not fully fledged dogma or ideology (true conservatism is the least political of political philosophies).
What else is new?
… Corporate Socialism: The Government is Bailing Out Investors & Managers Not You. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Something to think on …
I look upon life as a gift from God. I did nothing to earn it. Now that the time is coming to give it back, I have no right to complain.
— Joyce Cary, who died on this date in 1957
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Laughing in the dark …
… Laugh in the time of Corona: Favourite funny books.
See also: The 12 Funniest Exploration Books.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
See also: The 12 Funniest Exploration Books.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Connections …
… [If every life is four-dimensional] —Justin Rigamonti | Zócalo Public Square. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
The old-fashioned way …
… Say “No” to Death’s Dominion | R. R. Reno | First Things.
… the mass shutdown of society to fight the spread of COVID-19 creates a perverse, even demonic atmosphere. Governor Cuomo and other officials insist that death’s power must rule our actions. Religious leaders have accepted this decree, suspending the proclamation of the gospel and the distribution of the Bread of Life. They signal by their actions that they, too, accept death’s dominion.
“A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.”
— W. Shakespeare
Q&A …
… Tucker Carlson: ‘We aren’t very good at talking about death’ | Spectator USA. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)… what bothered me, what enraged me, back in January was we had all these reports out of eastern China, out of Wuhan, that there was this kind of transformative thing happening. They shut down a city of 11 million people — bigger than New York. And they still couldn’t control it. And the obvious conclusion that anyone paying attention would draw is, if the most sophisticated authoritarian government in history can’t control the spread of this disease. And simultaneously, we have hourly capital-to-capital jet travel. Maybe this is something we should be paying attention to. I mean, with just that fact set alone, you could conclude we need to tell our viewers about this. And almost nobody did because they thought, you know, Trump was the most important thing. It’s really dereliction. When this is over. I really hope that we can learn something useful and corrective. I really do.
Very interesting …
… Frightened by Coronavirus, Many of U.K.’s Poles Are Heading Home - The New York Times.
Nor does Britain’s overstretched National Health Service inspire confidence, even if Britons sometimes seem to fret that foreigners exploit it. “Let’s be honest, it’s not fantastic,” said Mr. Bacdorf. “I used the National Health Service once and it was a terrible experience.” … “Paracetamol for everything — that’s my impression of what you get from the British health service,” he added, referring to the pain reliever Americans generally know as acetaminophen or Tylenol.
What we seem to know so far …
… Covid-19 — Navigating the Uncharted | NEJM. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.2
Something to think on …
I learned to read at the age of five, in Brother Justiniano's class at the De la Salle Academy in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is the most important thing that has ever happened to me. Almost seventy years later I remember clearly how the magic of translating the words in books into images enriched my life, breaking the barriers of time and space.
— Mario Vargas Llosa, born on this date in 1936
Friday, March 27, 2020
The king of the birds …
… Marly Youmans / The Palace at 2:00 a.m. / poems, stories, novels: Peacock-thoughts for a Pandemic Sunday. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Paintings or mosaic work with peacocks appears as early as the third century A. D. in Roman catacombs. Part of this seems to be bound to the earlier idea that the flesh of the bird does not decay and holds some sort of immortality; that thought becomes a symbol wandering into regions of eternal life and resurrection. Part must be bound to the idea of leaving the earthly body and receiving a glorified body and soul, for the peacock in his fully revealed green and bronze and cobalt pomp and magnificence is an image of radiance and splendor. This sumptuousness finds its culmination in the peacock as symbol of Christ, who did not decay in the tomb and is transfigured and glorified.Is the hemlock tree ordinarily confused with the poison hemlock that killed Socrates?
Another blogging note …
I must go shopping for a bit. Will resume blogging sometime later.
I went to the Reading Terminal Market yesterday. Usually packed with people, it was virtually deserted. God willing, I didn't get infected with anything.
In case you wondered …
… Question for the coronavirus era: What’s the opposite of loneliness? It’s not company. | The Book Haven.
In an essay on “Personal Responsibility Under Dictatorship,” [Hannah Arendt] argued such “being-with-oneself” is connected with the sustained practice of examining issues, weighing contradictory thoughts, making up one’s own mind. She observed that those who resisted the Nazi call had the habit and experience of daring to judge for themselves:
“The precondition for this kind of judging is not a highly developed intelligence or sophistication in moral matters, but rather the disposition to live together explicitly with oneself, to have intercourse with oneself, that is, to be engaged in that silent dialogue between me and myself which, since Socrates and Plato, we usually call thinking.”
One of the truly great singers …
… a ver good actor, too, one of only six actors to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his first screen appearance:
A tale for these days …
… Isolation – a short story by Teresa Waugh - The Oldie. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Novelist Teresa Waugh tells the tale of an elderly lady, tormented by coronavirus-induced isolation.
Blogging note …
Got up later than usual today because of caregiving obligations. Will do a little blogging once i get my coffee.
Something to think on …
True religion should be able to respond to the dark melodies, the faulty and hideous sounds that echo from the heart of men.
— Shūsaku Endō, born on this date in 1923
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Well, good …
… Professors Worry Their Bias Will Be Exposed by Online Classes.
It ought to be exposed. Teaching requires keeping them under wraps.
It ought to be exposed. Teaching requires keeping them under wraps.
These are great …
… Three Epigrams from Richard Crashaw, Epigrammata Sacra by John Talbot | Articles | First Things. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Crashaw was a favorite poet of min when I was in college. I must read him again.
Who was also a great writer …
… The Seminal Novel About the 1918 Flu Pandemic Was Written by a Texan – Texas Monthly (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Pale Horse, Pale Rider’s enduring reputation perhaps stems from Porter’s willingness to look death in the face through a masterfully psychedelic fever sequence set in an overcrowded hospital. Writing for the New Yorker in 1944, the critic Edmund Wilson lauded Porter as “a first-rate artist,” with a literary project both sophisticated and subtle that “may be able, as in Pale Horse, Pale Rider, to assert itself only in the delirium that lights up at the edge of death.”
Kindred spirits in a time of heartbreak …
… Behind Their Lines: A quiet place apart. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
“I have heard Edward doubt if he was as brave as the bravest. But who was ever so completely himself right up to the verge of destruction, so sure of his thought, so sure of his word? He was the bravest and best and dearest man you and I have ever known….
Indeed …
… This is why everyone loathes Congress. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
You could be forgiven … for imagining that this would be a perfect opportunity for the legislative branch to do all the things members of both parties are always saying they want to do: to "put politics aside" and "reach across the aisle" — feel free to insert more of your favorite clichés — in order to "get something done" on behalf of the American people.
Something to think on …
Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.
— Robert Frost, born on this date in 1874
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
A call to reason …
… Blind fear of death should not guide policy | Catholic Culture. (Hat tip, Rich Lloret.)
… certainly there are some things worth taking a risk for. As much as we admire bravery in the face of danger, we despise timidity. No doubt you would be safer if you spent your life cowering at home, but what could you accomplish? “A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once,” Shakespeare tells us. To risk nothing is to accomplish nothing.
A very good idea …
… Learning Latin the Medieval Way ~ The Imaginative Conservative. (hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I have been brushing up on my Latin and German by means of Duolingo. It has certainly helped, since I can now understand both languages when I hear them. But i also just ordered a Latin-English Vulgate to further my study.
I would argue that Latin is the first victim of modernism, its decline analogous to the worst fears surrounding such educational reform as Common Core. The early modern period saw a break in tradition; the pedagogy of antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance gave way to modern techniques and innovations, and for the past two centuries we have let our students wallow in the mire they created.
I have been brushing up on my Latin and German by means of Duolingo. It has certainly helped, since I can now understand both languages when I hear them. But i also just ordered a Latin-English Vulgate to further my study.
Why am I not surprised?
… Government Red Tape Delays the COVID-19 Response – Reason.com. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
A few weeks ago, the government finally gave up its monopoly and said it was relaxing the rules. There would be quick "emergency use authorizations" replacing the months- or years-long wait for approval. But even that took so long that few independent tests were approved.
So President Donald Trump waived those rules, too.
Now tests are finally being made. But that delay killed people. It's still killing people.
Other needlessly repressive rules prevented doctors and hospitals from trying more efficient ways to treat patients.
Hmm …
… Hydroxychloroquine Showing Early Promise As Potential Treatment For Covid-19. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
It’s no exaggeration to say that this drug changed my life—and in a dramatically positive way—after I was diagnosed with arthritis in my thirties. Today, I’m completely pain-free and symptom-free, and I no longer require medication of any sort. Yet here’s the strangest part of the story: none of my doctors wanted me to use hydroxychloroquine, the amazing drug that brought about these results. They viewed it as an old and outdated medicine. One rheumatologist tried to convince me to use a newer, more “high-tech” treatment. “You are using a wimpy drug, and arthritis isn’t a wimpy disease,” he said.
Exquisite portrait …
… Beyond Eastrod : Review — Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor.
Flannery O’Connor was born on this date in 1925.
Something to think on …
Even in the life of a Christian, faith rises and falls like the tides of an invisible sea. It's there, even when he can't see it or feel it, if he wants it to be there. You realize, I think, that it is more valuable, more mysterious, altogether more immense than anything you can learn or decide upon. It will keep you free — not free to do anything you please, but free to be formed by something larger than your own intellect or the intellects around you.
— Flannery O’Connor, born on this date in 1925
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Well worth watching …
Eileen is a friend of mine. I asked her if I could post this, and she gave permission.
A blog every Philadelphian should read …
… Big Trial | Philadelphia Trial Blog.
Because you're sure in hell not going to see any of this in The Inquirer. I certainly couldn't find anything about Starson Audate and Kimberly Paynter when I did a search.
Because you're sure in hell not going to see any of this in The Inquirer. I certainly couldn't find anything about Starson Audate and Kimberly Paynter when I did a search.
Sounds timely …
… Beyond Eastrod : Review — Judas Unchained.
Throughout the complex novel, readers will find themselves wondering, 'Who can be trusted? Who can be believed?'
Wonderful …
… Portrait of Girl with Comic Book - Independent.ie. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden, who notes that Phyllis McGinley would have turned 115 on March 21.)
Another clip for these times …
Related: Don't Cancel Easter.
Of course, we must think about the elderly or those with preexisting conditions, who are at a much higher risk of succumbing to COVID-19. But the aged and infirm are automatically dispensed from their Sunday obligation if attending public worship would be hazardous to their health. The bishops could have simply reminded us of that provision.I am 78. I would have attended Mass this past Sunday if our timorous archbishop had allowed it. If, as a result, I shuffled off my mortal coil in the days that followed, that would be God's will. Life does, after all, have a termination date.
Something to think on …
Future historians will surely see us as having created in the media a Frankenstein monster whom no one knows how to control or direct, and marvel that we should have so meekly subjected ourselves to its destructive and often malign influence.
— Malcolm Muggeridge, born on this date in 1903
Monday, March 23, 2020
A great enlightenment …
… The Virus is Not Invincible, But It’s Exposing Who’s Irreplaceable - American Greatness.
But who now is more important than the trucker who drives 12-hours straight to deliver toilet paper to Costco? Or the mid-level manager of Target who calibrates supply and demand and is on the phone all day juggling deliveries before his store opens? Or the checker at the local supermarket who knows that the hundreds of customers inches away from her pose risks of infection, and yet she ensures that people walk out with food in their carts? The farmworker who is on the tractor all night to ensure that millions of carrots and lettuce don’t rot? The muddy frackers in West Texas who make it possible that natural gas reaches the home of the quarantined broker in Houston? The ER nurse on her fifth coronavirus of the day who matter-of-factly saves lives?
Do we really need to ask such questions of whether the presence of the czar for diversity and inclusion at Yale is missed as much as the often-caricatured cop on patrol at 2 a.m. in New Haven?
Rather a sad tale …
… though not without a trace of hope: The Art of Dying | The New Yorker. (Hat tip, Dave Lull,)
Death is like painting rather than like sculpture, because it’s seen from only one side. Monochrome—like the mausoleum-gray former Berlin Wall, which kids in West Berlin glamorized with graffiti. What I’m trying to do here.
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