Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Indeed

… Paul Davis On Crime: A Dark Day In American History: Today Is The Anniversary Of The Fall Of South Vietnam.

Death has difficult days …

 … Eyes fastened with pins.

Tracking the decline …

… PEN America has surrendered over Israel - UnHerd

A poem …

 … Evictions 

Something to think on …

There is nothing that is comparable to it, as satisfactory or as thrilling, as gathering the vegetables one has grown.
— Alice B.Toklas, born on this date in 1877

A word for today …

… Recherché | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

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

Monday, April 29, 2024

Quite a tale …

 (18) Notes on the Asylum Where I Was Raised.

Good question …

Go State U! Why pay a premium for a 'polarizing' degree?

Not so macho after all …

 … Generous And Reflective’: Letters Show Other Sides To Macho Ernest Hemingway.

One place to begin …

 … Explain yourself over and over.

Girl power! …

 … 17-year-old peasant leads a French force against British.

Another word …

… Adduce | Word Genius.

Check out these books at your library …

 … Agatha Christie’s Top 10 Books, Ranked.

Something to think on …

To certain people there comes a day when they must say the great Yes or the great No.
— Constantine P. Cavafy, born on this date in 1863

Something to think on …

Original sin is the only doctrine that's been empirically validated by 2,000 years of human history.
— G. K.Chesterton, born on this date in 1874

On second thought …

… AI priest avatar gets the chop in first week of digital ministry - Catholic Herald. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.’ 

A word for today …

… Quark - Word Daily.

Let us pray

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

Sunday, April 28, 2024

So much more than dots and dashes …

 … Belated birthday celebration for Samuel F. B. Morse.

Appalling …

… It Was Only a Matter of Time Before We Saw Something Like This at These Pro-Hamas Rallies.

Those of an age remember quite well who coined te phrase “final solution.’

A problem with stop signs and niceness …

It’s Not “Midwest Nice” to Break the Rules. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Cross-cultural influences

… A Past That Must Be Denied: Borges in Japan | Los Angeles Review of Books. (Hatip, Dave Lull.)

In case you wondered …

… Why College Degrees Are Losing Their Value.

I graduated from college in 1964, when fewer than 10 percent of the population had a bachelors degree. Today that number has increased to more that 50 percent. But many recent college graduates I have met fail to impress — such as the one who a few months ago interrupted a conversation I was having over a beer with an artist friend of mine to tell us that Hitler wasn’t a socialist. We weren’t talking about Hitler or socialism, but I turned to him and said, “Guess you don’t know German.” Then I told him that NAZI means Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei — National Socialist German Workers Party.
Of course, when I went to what is now St. Joseph’s University, it only cost $600 a year, which my family could afford. Now it’s about 50 grand. Hence, the student loan problem.

Historical moment …

 … Brilliant military officer makes important political decision.

Spy story …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Rook: A Look Back At A Vietnam Era Spy Sentenced In Philadelphia.

Something to think on …

I am convinced of the afterlife, independent of theology. If the world is rationally constructed, there must be an afterlife
— Kurt Gödel, born on this date in 1906

Sonnet …

 … Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!

A word for today …

… Scintilla | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

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

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Remembering …

 …and telling a truth

Expel them all …

… The extremist leaders of Columbia's anti-Israel protest camp.

After all, they alread think they know everything.

Choosing unknowing …

… Resisting our 'new dark age'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I want to know less about the things that divide us and more about the things that unite us. Less about the scandalous and personal and more about the transcendent and universal.

Memory and heartache …

Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: The House.

A poem for this morning …

 ~  Kjell Espmark —Route Tournante.

Journey by train …

  Rushing faster than memory through the rain

.

Another Word …

… Aplomb | Word Genius.

A word for today …

… Appurtenance - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Friday, April 26, 2024

I fear so …

… Education Apocalypse Now? - by Glenn Harlan Reynolds.

RIP …

Helen Vendler, 'Colossus' of poetry criticism, dies at 90. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Hmm …

… Jesus is the minimum viable truth | WORLD. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Homesick …

… The Eyes of God. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Rejoinder | Word Genius.

The search for peace …

 … I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree.

Let us prat …

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

Something to think on …

The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.
— Marcus Aurelius, born on this date in 121

Thursday, April 25, 2024

So this is Nebraska …

 … Taking a ride on a gravel road through wheat fields.

Dangerous times …

 … POTUS learns full details of devastating weapon research.

Abandoned farmhouse …

 … On the occasion of the poet Ted Kooser’s birthday.

I should think not …

… This strong evidence of the link between covid vaccines and cancer can no longer be ignored - The Conservative Woman.

I didn’t get the vaccine. My cardiologist agreed. I am in the top 1 percent of the population to die of a heart attack. I also got tested for Covid frequently, since I couldn’t visit Debbie without being tested. Always negative. I have a good immune system.

A poem and more …

 … Facts about the Moon: Dorianne Laux’s Stunning Poem about Bearing Our Human Losses When Even the Moon Is Leaving Us. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

A word for today …

… Hermitage - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

What a haunting, inescapable riddle life was.
— Walter de la Mare, born on this date in 1873

Let us pray …

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

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

A wise law professor …

 … lays out the case: Jewish students, come here to the South — where you’ll be safe.

Interesting …

 … Kelly Clarkson had one word for Hillary Clinton about Arizona’s ban on abortions that left her Pro-Life fans fuming.

I don’t usually opine on this subject, but I have some personal info that I think is pertinent. As a love child — i.e., illegitimate — I was surely a candidate for abortion, though I doubt the thought ever crossed my mother’s mind. Trust the science, we are told. Well, the basic science is that the fetus is a genetically unique living being. If the pregnancy is a threat to the mother’s life, that may prove an exception — though the mother may be willing to take the risk. But in the case of rape, both mother and child are victims. They could bond on that. I do not think the mother’s convenience should be decisive. After all, there are ways of having sex that can prevent pregnancy. OK, I’m a man. So how much does my opinion count?  But I think the matter is deserving of more careful pondering. We are talking about taking a life. Who knows what that kid might achieve?

Much to think on here …

 The Paradox of the Misanthropic Naturalist Animal Lover.

Time for a story …

… Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Byrne's Sitdown'.

A word for today …

… Abstruse | Word Genius.

Something to think on …

Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write.
— Anthony Trollope, born on this date in 1815

We vegetate, calm and aesthetic …

 … How pleasant to sit on the beach…

Let us pray …

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

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Hmm …

… God as Uniquely Unique - by William F. Vallicella.

Another racist

… Liberal mayor makes discriminatory comments that have people concerned ,

Maybe he should check out Martin Luther King: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Excuse me, your Honor …

 …  NYC Man Convicted Over Gunsmithing Hobby After Judge Says 2nd Amendment 'Doesn't Exist in This Courtroom'

So this clown can decide what parts of the Constitution are admissible in her courtroom. Remove her.

Sounds like it’s worth seeing …

… Paul  Davis On Crime: HBO's 'The Sympathizer' And The Real Vietnam Spy..

Good idea …

… Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton urge Biden to mobilize National Guard to protect Jewish college students - Washington Times.

A tradition we can do without …

 … It Always Starts With the Jews.

These so-called students are obviously ignoramuses, and that’s the kindest thing one can say.

Observation …

 … Bird watching remembered and rendered in quatrains.

Dangerous profession …

 … American journalist arrested for espionage in Prague.

Something to think on …

Like all great rationalists you believed in things that were twice as incredible as theology.
— Halldor Laxness, born on this date in 1902

Word master …

 …  Dostoevsky’s idiom. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

… Dostoevsky owes much of his verbal virtuosity to intuition rather than deliberate strategy. In every case, his word choice, however bizarre it first appears, makes the most accurate and meaningful response to the momentary situation created by the plot or a character’s immediate experience. 

Another word …

… Quaff - Word Daily.

A word for today …

… Countervail | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

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

Monday, April 22, 2024

After the fall …

 … Death of a man who admitted he had screwed up.

Chag Pesach Sameach …

… Why This Night Is Different From All Other Nights - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Music and exercise …

 (18) In Which I Partake of a Cultural Moment.

Something to think on …

I am content; that is a blessing greater than riches; and he to whom that is given need ask no more.
— Henry Fielding, born on this date in 1707

Our town …

… Paul Davis On Crime: City And Federal Task Force Is Combating Carjacking.

Cause for concern …

 … The Moral Rot at the Heart of Our Elite Institutions,

One scientist explained a while back (I forget who) that it took him years to make the connection between the fact that every time he read about something he knew in the media, it was wrong, and the fact that this was true of almost everything he read. 

A word for today …

… Redoubtable | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

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

Saturday, April 20, 2024

RIP …

… Former NFL quarterback Roman Gabriel dies at 83 - Yahoo Sports.

This is distressing

 Translation services under assault by The Machine. Sadly, this is going to get worse before it gets better

Hmm …

… Antarctica Is Colder, Icier Today Than At Any Time In 5,000 Years - Climate Change Dispatch.

Here is a review I wrote some years ago that seems pertinent: Cold spell near? Geologist digs deeper on climate change.

Just so you know …

 (18) Social Utility and the Value of Pure Inquiry.

Social utility is a value. But truth is a value that trumps it. The pursuit of truth is an end in itself. Paradoxically, the pursuit of truth as an end in itself may be the best way to attain truth that is useful to us.

A story …

… Atmospheric Disturbance� | Mad Swirl.

Water, water …

Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Natural Violence.

A word for today …

… Solatium | Word Genius.

Discovery …

 … Poem Begun from Marginalia Found in a Used Copy of Donald Justice’s Platonic Scripts. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

RIP …

… Edward Feser: Daniel Dennett (1942-2024). (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Debut …

 … First fictional detective appears in 1841.

Let us pray …

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

Friday, April 19, 2024

If you're in London...

 ...A new exhibit explores The Troubles in Northern Ireland through portraiture

Getting personal …

 … Was it Adam’s rib (or another part of his anatomy)?

This morning’s poem …

… Complicit | The Spectator. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Seasonal nostalgia …

… The story of Vince Maney - The Spectator World. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I’m old enough to have seen the A’s play at Shibe Park.

The Emily Dickinson you may not know …

… Eternity Only Will Answer by Maya C. Popa | Poetry Foundation. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

More than fratricide …

 … Cain and Abel in the Bible.

A word for today …

… Eponymous - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Yet another poem …

 … this one by me.


Elegy

In Memory of  Zelda

The aging princess presides

Over the ruin of the late king’s palace.

The dowager queen cannot help

But notice the walls give way,

The dust gather. The aging princess

Toasts her aging consort and complains.

Hounds bay among debris,  the moon

Opaquely shines through soiled panes.

The dowager queen listens and wanly smiles.

“A driving rain may streak,” she thinks,

“But never cleanse the windows,

Whether of house or soul. All

Gives way, nothing being done.

Time was, the princess danced

Beneath a moon effulgent, not opaque,

And children gamboled on the lawn.

The children now are fled

To regions where auroras dance instead.

How it will end seems clearer

Than the windowpanes, though when

Remains obscure, as always.” The aging princess

Takes her aging consort by the hand

And leads him in a halting sarabande.

The royal cats cry out, extend their claws.

The dowager queen listens and wanly smiles.


In case you wondered …

(18) On Relevance in Philosophy Education.

In the Jesuit college I attended, logic and metaphysics were required course. I also studied the history of philosophy and existential phenomenology.

Waiting …

 … This is the Hour of Lead.

One of my favorite poets …

… Poem of the week: Sea Rose by HD | Poetry | The Guardian. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden,.)

Another poem …

 … The impossible in which I believe. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Honoring a centenary …

 The talented Evan S. Connell - The Spectator World. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

His claim to immortality is Mrs. Bridge, which astonishes in its build-up of quiet power. Like many books that are ostensibly about nothing at all, it is, of course, about everything. 

A poem …

 Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney | Poetry Foundationl (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.]

Another word …

 Consanguineous | Word Genius.

A word for today …

… Inimitable - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

A must-read …

 Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Murder By The Park'.

Taken with words …

 … Walter W. Skeat and the Oxford English Dictionary. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In case you wondered …

… (18) What is Fascism? - by William F. Vallicella.

Renewed …

 … Here they are, risen from the darkness.

Learning as a way of life …

 … The Spiritual Terrain of David Middleton. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Diaphanous - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

Every person who has ever lived has lived an unbroken succession of unique occasions.
— Thornton Wilder, born on this date in 1897

Let us pray …

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

Monday, April 15, 2024

Tracking the decline …

 (18) More academic fraud among the 'equity' bunch? Say it ain't so!.

Naivete

… The Psychology of the Pollyanna . . .

Something to think on …

If you have work to do, don't wait to feel like it; set to work and you will feel like it.
— Henry James, born on this day in 1843

RIP …

… Sitcom King Lear - The American Conservative. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Our greatest essayist …

… Lucky Joe. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Epstein has been called a conservative, but that is only because the shallowness prevailing among the well-educated is usually leftist. What he really is is an exposer of bullshit in all its smelly varieties. 

Another word …

… Synecdoche | Word Genius.

A word for today …

… Hubris - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Truth and faith …

… Errol Morris on Documentary Filmmaking and Christopher Hitchens - Air Mail.

Truth is a quest. An endless procession through a labyrinth of evidence to a deeper understanding of what really is out there in the world. And yet, truth itself is something that we can’t know for certain—except, perhaps, under controlled or limited circumstances.

FYI …

 … Blogging note in seventeen syllables.

Another word …

… Fettle | Word Genius.

Many will recall the final stanza of  Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “Felix Randall” — 

How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years, 
When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers,
Didst fettle for the great grey drayhorse his bright and battering sandal!

Still,deserving some room at the top …

… Desire and Ambition. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In a literary sense, Room at the Top is a landmark work of Northern realism. “Certainly no one until John Braine had described the exact kind of urges operating within the post-war specimen,” wrote [Kenneth] Allsop.

His influence only increases …

… Lessons From the Life of Evelyn Waugh - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Although he was born nearly 121 years ago and died nearly 60 years ago, Waugh’s life is one filled with lessons for Catholics today.

This moment…

 … Things are getting ready to happen out of sight.

More to him than you may have though …

… W.S. Gilbert | Alexander Larman | The Critic Magazine. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

Sooner or later, man has always had to decide whether he worships his own power or the power of God.
— Arnold J. Toynbee, born on this date in 1889

A word for today …

… Arcane - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Saturday, April 13, 2024

A Poem …

A poem …

You are the sun in the corner of my picture


In a dream I am putting together

A puzzle. I think it is Eden

But I'm not sure- green here, a flower there.

And where would Eden be without trees?


You're the sun in the corner of my picture;

A look here, a contour there, and hints that

You're a lover who cannot be possessed.

But you are in my Eden and I am glad.


Assembling a puzzle of Eden leaves me

Halfway between architect and shaman.

There may be few ways to get it right.

“Unlucky”, I say to deflect attention.


It's best to have a good reason to talk to God

I'm always a fuck up but I get that right.

Jennifer Knox



Special delivery …

 … Something from Emily Dickinson.

Memories …

 … A band of sunlight and the dark rain.

Poetry and petals …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Flowering Crab.

Something to think on …

We are the breakers of our own heart.
— Eudora Welty, born on this date in 1909

And the winners are …

 (18) VFYW: Needle In A Bay Stack - by Chris Bodenner.

In case you wondered …

… Are Prose Poets Trolling Us? | The Walrus. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Wodehouse and the Church of England …

Sacred Mysteries: Why the world of Wodehouse was the Garden of Eden.(hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Kerfuffle - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Example of presidential integrity and leadership …

 … President sets off brief uproar among the American public.

Time for a smile …

… (18) Bars Philosophers Opened on being Denied Tenure.

Something to think on …

We see things as we are, not as they are.
— Leo Rosten, born on this date in 1908

Eating poetry …

 … Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.

Q & A …

… Katy Carl on Contemporary Catholic Fiction: Part I - Word on Fire. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Remembering …

… Anecdotal Evidence: `Fighting Against the Future'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Just so you know …

… Paul Davis On Crime: The DEA On the Enduring and Emerging Threat of Drugs.

Another poem …

 …  James Schuyler —Buried at Springs

Here’s to you …

 … Drinking, a poem by Gabriela Mistral. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden,)

This past Sunday, April 7, marked the. 135th anniversary of Gabriela Mistral’s birth.

A word for today …

… Totem - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Well deserved …

… In praise of Evelyn Waugh - Mark McGinness - The Oldie. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

God bless her …

… Contrarian Lionel Shriver deftly satirizes anti-intellectualism in 'Mania' : NPR.

Lionel is a dear friend.

Real poetry for children …

… How Dennis Lee Cooked Up Alligator Pie | The Walrus. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The story of jazz …

… When Jazz Struck a Chord. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Sunny days …

 …All around physical life reconvenes in warm weather.

Sound advice …

… Autograph letter - Signed - Robert Frost - Bauman Rare Books. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

The most learned are often the most narrow minded.
— William Hazlitt, born on this date in 1778

Another word …

… Empyrean - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

A word for today …

… Horology | Word Genius.

Tuesday, April 09, 2024

A saint …

… Christian mother who forwent cancer treatments to protect her unborn child succumbs to cancer | Blaze Media.

Magnificent Seven …

 … Original group of astronauts announced by NASA.

Good …

… Campus Reform | Vanderbilt University suspends, expells students who occupied chancellor's office during pro-Palestinian protest.

A word for today …

… Cynosure | Word Genius.

A look at a a bad guy …

… Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At The Infamous Boston Criminal Whitey Bulger: My Crime Beat Column On 'Whitey: The Life Of America's Most Notorious Mob Boss'.

Pilot’s license

 … Rollin’ on the river in 185.

Something to think on …

The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.
— Charles Baudelaire, born on this date in 1821

Let us pray …

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

Monday, April 08, 2024

Hisorical anniversary …

 … 50 Years Ago Today: Hank Aaron's Record-Setting Home Run.

More about the eclipse …

 … Mark Twain commented upon the sun, Venus, and comets

Nature is never spent …

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil.

Sunny day …

 … Perhaps it is much ado about nothing.

Poems and paintings …

… North of Oxford | Reviews, Commentary, Essays, Poetry.

A fine poet …

… REVIEW: Light and Hope. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Something to think on …

The perception of duration itself presupposes a duration of perception.
— Edmund Husserl, born on this dat in 1859

Nice to know …

 His Word Was His Bond. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Epoch - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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

Sunday, April 07, 2024

A poem by a master …

 … ‘The Heroes’, (hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Oh, great …

… Google Books Is Indexing AI-Generated Garbage. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

An honor deserved …

… Bard of the Common Man, Jimmy Breslin, a Deadline Artist, Gets the Library of America Treatment | The New York Sun. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Take a look at these …

… Dublin, Banville, and the Novel.

I was on assignment in Dublin some years, working on a piece about the centenary of Bloomsday. Ireland is a lovely place.

Patience …

 … It will be Summer — eventually.

A word for today …

… Puerile - Word Daily.

Something to think on …

For me, religiosity is ... the constant remembrance of the presence of the soul.
— Gabriela Mistral, born on this date in 1889

Let us …

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

Saturday, April 06, 2024

If you want one …

 (18) A Cure for Infatuation - by William F. Vallicella.

Portrait …

 … The Devil is his Rider.

Thoreau — a fine appreciation…

… Thinking disobediently? | OUPblog. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

Another blogging note …

 I just have too much to do just now. Blogging is going to be spotty for a while. I’ll post when I can. Bear in mind I try to read is sent to me before I post a link. That takes time.

Blogging note …

 I have much to deal with in my personal life these, not least of which is my wife’s current infirmity. So I will get to blogging when I can.  Please bear with me.

Thin in every sense

… Posthumous publication: Honoring an author’s wishes or literary grave robbing. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Novels in translation are often prey for the whims of quixotic or plain bad writing, but lines such as “his whole being radiated a distinctive air through his fresh eau de cologne” are not just bathetic but suggest that either the book’s translator Anne McLean was not up to the job or, more likely, Márquez’s existing work was so poor that even the most talented interpreter would be unable to make headway with its incomprehensibilities and banalities. 

A poem by a master …

… The Giantess by Richard Eberhart | Poetry Magazine. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

Eberthart, who died in 2005 at 101, would have turned 120 yesterday.

I’ll not be a reader …

 …  Some books are simply unnecessary: this is one of them.

A dubious biography …

… Mist, Fog and Funder - Quadrant Online. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Despite its ostensible focus being on Eileen Blair, Wifedom is largely a personal attack on Orwell himself.  

Hmm…

 … Nature takes away our playthings one by one

Being and mind …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Abstraction, Sonnet #624.

For your reading pleasure …

 … Today’s Poem: Here. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I spent a pleasant day once chatting with Rhina at the West Chester University Poetry Conference.

Something to think on …

The man who can speak acceptably is usually given credit for an ability out of all proportion to what he really possesses.
— Lowell Thomas, norn on this date in 1892

Q&A …

 (18) Colossus Revisited - by Moira O'Shea - Autofiction.

A word for today …

… Transmogrify | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

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

Friday, April 05, 2024

In case you wondered …

… What Is Aramaic? - Biblical Archaeology Society.

Haiku …

 A green haze in spring:

We are graced by a willow.

Take a walk and see.

Jennifer Knox

Another word …

… Epicurean - Word Daily.

A word for today …

… Cosmopolis | Word Genius.

Blogging note …

 I had a very long day yesterday, and this morning, most uncharacteristically, I overslept. So I have things to do right now, and blogging will have to wait until this afternoon, when I return from my mabdatiory daily walk.

Appreciation …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Once A Prince Of the City: A Look Back At Robert Leuci, Crime Writer & Former NYPD Detective.

One day at a time …

 … Spring comes quickly…

Let us pray …

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

Something to think on …

Body and spirit are twins: God only knows which is which.
— Algernon Charles Swinburne, on this date in 1837

Thursday, April 04, 2024

Blogging note …

 I am about to visit my wife. Blogging will resume later.

Why I’m not a fan …

… Pope says some 'backward' conservatives in US Catholic Church have replaced faith with ideology | AP News.
 
Kiss my ass, your Holiness.

How I and other fans feel …

… 5 awards for the Phillies after dropping series to the Reds | PhillyVoice.

Traveling …

 … Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Hmm…

 … ZOMBIES IN PARADISE. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Gathering poems …

… A Garden of Verses - JSTOR Daily. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Drawing from a tradition with antecedents in antiquity, the practice of editing a commonplace book required a student to collect fragments of writing that interested them—portions of dialogue, bits of sermons, selections of poems—and arrange them together

Contemplating curtail call …

… Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World by Dorian Lynskey - review by Mark Blacklock. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Evidently, the time is ripe for a survey of the branch of cultural production concerned with the end of the world. And yet, as Lynskey points out, tales have been told about it for as long as we’ve been doing story. 

Something to think on …

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
— Maya Angelou, born on this date in 1928

For the season …

… Easter Movies: "Hail Caesar!" and "Risen" ~ The Imaginative Conservative. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Hoary - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

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