Monday, May 05, 2008
Don't know what to do ...
... with all those books? Shifting blockages and books. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
Meditation ...
Realizing you have the time to take your time doing whatever you choose can be disconcerting. Taking too much time to do something can prove ruinous, making what results seem labored or precious. Finding the right tempo is crucial. It has to be steady, but also flexible.
A lot depends on the sort of thing you’re doing. It’s easier to find the right pace for physical labor. That’s why cooking and gardening can be so refreshing. But when it comes to writing, the best thing is just to plunge blindly ahead — going on your nerve, as Frank O’Hara put it.
What’s more, after years of having large chunks of your time pretty much spoken for, the lack of constraint on your time is itself a problem. You’re free to daydream, the way you did when you were a kid. Only when you were a kid, you daydreamed about what you would do when you grew up. Now, you are grown up, and there isn’t much left to dream about. So memories intrude, and you wonder at how you got to where you are, how you became who you are. Not that it matters, since, however it happened, there’s not much you can do about it.
—
This is helpful ...
... I recently told Maxine that I had recently realized that, sophisticated media notwithstanding, I doubted if I had a clear or accurate picture of what has been going in the UK regarding its recent election. She sends along this: WHAT ELSE HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE THEY LISTEN ?
I do find it enlightening, especially the last two paragraphs, which Maxine told me to pay special attention to. Interestingly, what Susan says about David Cameron coincides exactly with the impression I have had of him.
I do find it enlightening, especially the last two paragraphs, which Maxine told me to pay special attention to. Interestingly, what Susan says about David Cameron coincides exactly with the impression I have had of him.
Beats gambling ...
... but not by much, I guess: Bibliomania. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
Wow, Dave Lull just sent me a link, too!
Wow, Dave Lull just sent me a link, too!
The wonder didn't last ...
.. for Berryman, unfortunately:`The Wonder of the Sun'.
It took a while - years, in fact - but Berryman's Love & Fame was instrumental in getting me to dry out, lo, those many years ago.
It took a while - years, in fact - but Berryman's Love & Fame was instrumental in getting me to dry out, lo, those many years ago.
Another hole in the wall ...
... of old media: Online reviewing boosts unsung authors. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
On second thought ...
... Paul Davis, who reviewed for me when I was still a review editor, and who still sends me links, sent me an email yesterday about a review a couple of years ago. He feels he was unfair and wants to clear matters up. I asked him if I could post his email and he said yes. So here it is:
Frank:
I think a correction is in order, and perhaps your blog is the proper place to offer one at this late date.
Back in April of 2006 I reviewed "A Carrier At War" for you.
I gave the book a favorable review, but I had one small criticism, which was the author's annoying habit of referring to the USS Kitty Hawk - an 80,000 ton aircraft carrier - as a "boat."
When I served as a teenage seaman on the USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War in 1970-1971, one did not call the carrier a boat.
If you were dumb enough to do so, several chiefs, petty officers, and officers would yell and curse at you, and tell you that the carrier was a SHIP! Not a boat!
Like a good writer and reporter, I checked this out with sources. I asked a chief and an officer at the Navy base where I worked prior to retiring from the Defense Department if the Navy now called carriers and other ships boats. No way, both of them said. They are ships.
I learned in my day that the Navy was fussy about names - this was a deck, not a floor, a bulkhead, not a wall, this was an overhead, not a ceiling, and this was a ladder, not a stairway.
After you published the review, I received a good number of e-mails, and some of the senders said that their son or daughter served on carriers and they called their ship a boat. I assumed their offsprings were young and inexperienced sailors who didn't know any better, and at some point they would be not-so-gently corrected by a crusty, old chief.
But, after watching the very fine 10-hour PBS special "Carrier" (www.pbs.org/weta/carrier), I have to admit that several sailors - including older, experienced ones - did in fact call the ship a boat.
I stand corrected. My apologies to the author, Richard F. Miller, and to the readers who e-mailed me.
Paul
The review is attached.
I guess I'm now considered to be "Old Navy."
And here is the review.
Update: By the way, I hope everybody realizes what a classy thing this was for Paul to do.
Frank:
I think a correction is in order, and perhaps your blog is the proper place to offer one at this late date.
Back in April of 2006 I reviewed "A Carrier At War" for you.
I gave the book a favorable review, but I had one small criticism, which was the author's annoying habit of referring to the USS Kitty Hawk - an 80,000 ton aircraft carrier - as a "boat."
When I served as a teenage seaman on the USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War in 1970-1971, one did not call the carrier a boat.
If you were dumb enough to do so, several chiefs, petty officers, and officers would yell and curse at you, and tell you that the carrier was a SHIP! Not a boat!
Like a good writer and reporter, I checked this out with sources. I asked a chief and an officer at the Navy base where I worked prior to retiring from the Defense Department if the Navy now called carriers and other ships boats. No way, both of them said. They are ships.
I learned in my day that the Navy was fussy about names - this was a deck, not a floor, a bulkhead, not a wall, this was an overhead, not a ceiling, and this was a ladder, not a stairway.
After you published the review, I received a good number of e-mails, and some of the senders said that their son or daughter served on carriers and they called their ship a boat. I assumed their offsprings were young and inexperienced sailors who didn't know any better, and at some point they would be not-so-gently corrected by a crusty, old chief.
But, after watching the very fine 10-hour PBS special "Carrier" (www.pbs.org/weta/carrier), I have to admit that several sailors - including older, experienced ones - did in fact call the ship a boat.
I stand corrected. My apologies to the author, Richard F. Miller, and to the readers who e-mailed me.
Paul
The review is attached.
I guess I'm now considered to be "Old Navy."
And here is the review.
Update: By the way, I hope everybody realizes what a classy thing this was for Paul to do.
What the Medicis might do ...
A couple of weeks ago, poet Peter Krok got me interested in a bank near where he lives. It was the Drexel Hill branch of the St. Edmond's Bank. One reason I was interested is that the main St. Edmond's branch is on Passyunk Avenue (Pa-SHUNK, to you non-South Phillyites) just a few blocks away from where I live. But the other reason was the bank's unusual added dimension: It had subletted a large portion of its premises to the Crossroads Coffee House of Roxborough. (By the way, the bank has nothing to do with saints or the church. At least not exactly. Years ago, Philadelphia neighborhoods tended to be identified by whatever parish was there. The bank was founded 96 years ago in what was then St. Edmond's parish.)
Anyway, I was curious enough to hop on a train to Ardmore last Wednesday morning. I was met at the station by John Durso, the manager of St. Edmond's Ardmore branch, who drove me over to the Drexel Hill branch.
On the outside, as you can see, it looks pretty much like any other bank branch you'd find in a shopping center. Inside is something else. It's been very nicely done up. There are tables and chairs, WiFi, HDTV. I watched one guy, obviously a regular, come in with his laptop, say hi to the people at the counter, and set himself in what is evidently his favorite corner (where the chairs are comfy) before getting himself a cuppa.
If you look at the picture of the counter where you order up coffee, pastries and the like, you can just see that behind there is the old bank vault. It's the kitchen now (the bank's moolah is now at another, undisclosed location). The standard counter in the center, where you get things like deposit slips, now serves a dual purpose. On one side you can still get deposit slips - and also business cards of the bank's clients, a sort of real-life version of a blogroll - and on the other you can get what you need to fix up your coffee. And of course there is a bank operating there, as you can see in the picture on the right, complete with real live - and very friendly - tellers.
So what's the point of it all? Well, how about poetry readings? How about meetings of book clubs? John Durso told me there's a huge space downstairs just waiting to be utilized. It's also worth noting that it makes banking a heck of a lot more personal than it has been for quite some time.
I see it as an innovation with a lot of potential. We all know that Starbucks isn't just a coffee franchise, but a network of meeting places. Having a coffee shop attached to a bank makes the bank seem less purely commercial, but obviously serves to bring together people who have a common interest - money. And, when it comes to books, what better place to have a book club specializing in books dealing with money matters, the economy, personal investment? God knows, most of the world's poets could use some instruction in that regard.
This is a venture worth keeping an eye - which we intend to do.
By the way, the Philadelphia Business Journal did a piece about this also, which made it into the Denver Business Journal: New bank branch mingles deposits and cappuccinos.
Update: I forgot to mention that the coffee is a heck of lot better than Starbucks'.
Anyway, I was curious enough to hop on a train to Ardmore last Wednesday morning. I was met at the station by John Durso, the manager of St. Edmond's Ardmore branch, who drove me over to the Drexel Hill branch.
On the outside, as you can see, it looks pretty much like any other bank branch you'd find in a shopping center. Inside is something else. It's been very nicely done up. There are tables and chairs, WiFi, HDTV. I watched one guy, obviously a regular, come in with his laptop, say hi to the people at the counter, and set himself in what is evidently his favorite corner (where the chairs are comfy) before getting himself a cuppa.
If you look at the picture of the counter where you order up coffee, pastries and the like, you can just see that behind there is the old bank vault. It's the kitchen now (the bank's moolah is now at another, undisclosed location). The standard counter in the center, where you get things like deposit slips, now serves a dual purpose. On one side you can still get deposit slips - and also business cards of the bank's clients, a sort of real-life version of a blogroll - and on the other you can get what you need to fix up your coffee. And of course there is a bank operating there, as you can see in the picture on the right, complete with real live - and very friendly - tellers.
So what's the point of it all? Well, how about poetry readings? How about meetings of book clubs? John Durso told me there's a huge space downstairs just waiting to be utilized. It's also worth noting that it makes banking a heck of a lot more personal than it has been for quite some time.
I see it as an innovation with a lot of potential. We all know that Starbucks isn't just a coffee franchise, but a network of meeting places. Having a coffee shop attached to a bank makes the bank seem less purely commercial, but obviously serves to bring together people who have a common interest - money. And, when it comes to books, what better place to have a book club specializing in books dealing with money matters, the economy, personal investment? God knows, most of the world's poets could use some instruction in that regard.
This is a venture worth keeping an eye - which we intend to do.
By the way, the Philadelphia Business Journal did a piece about this also, which made it into the Denver Business Journal: New bank branch mingles deposits and cappuccinos.
Update: I forgot to mention that the coffee is a heck of lot better than Starbucks'.
The future of newspapers (cont'd.) ...
... Wisconsin's Capital Times Drops Daily Print Edition For Online; '21st Century Paper'.
... Reluctantly, a Daily Stops Its Presses, Living Online.
... Publisher Tested the Waters Online, Then Dove In.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull - for all three links.)
Of course, the problem of retro journalists remains.
... Reluctantly, a Daily Stops Its Presses, Living Online.
... Publisher Tested the Waters Online, Then Dove In.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull - for all three links.)
Of course, the problem of retro journalists remains.
Start the day ...
... with good advice: Some Writing Thoughts, by Kat Magendie.
Listening to your characters is an especially good idea. I remember Peter Straub telling an audience once how you have do precisely that, because some character you think of as minor may be standing off on the sideline shouting at you about the character you want to focus one. "Forget him! I'm the one you want!"
Listening to your characters is an especially good idea. I remember Peter Straub telling an audience once how you have do precisely that, because some character you think of as minor may be standing off on the sideline shouting at you about the character you want to focus one. "Forget him! I'm the one you want!"
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Lewis Carroll would be pleased ...
... Ben Macintyre celebrates the portmanteau. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Yes, it is ...
... the headline of the day: Frank Whiteley Jr., Trained Ruffian, Is Dead at 93. (Hat tip, Roger Miller.)
Better a trained ruffian, I suppose.
On a more serious note, how odd that he should die the day before another filly had to euthanized after a major race.
Better a trained ruffian, I suppose.
On a more serious note, how odd that he should die the day before another filly had to euthanized after a major race.
More on Vlad ...
... and his unburned novel: His Father’s Siren, Still Singing. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Trumpets and drums, please ...
... The National Book Critics Circle Announces the Spring 2008 NBCC Good Reads List. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I reviewed the Coetzee and was unimpressed. I reviewed the Bidart and was impressed. I read, but did not review - though I was involved in an email exchange about - the Baker, which I found interesting but wrong-headed.
I reviewed the Coetzee and was unimpressed. I reviewed the Bidart and was impressed. I read, but did not review - though I was involved in an email exchange about - the Baker, which I found interesting but wrong-headed.
A favorite ...
... Frederic Edwin Church: MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE.
Debbie and I visited Olana some years ago. Highly recommended.
Debbie and I visited Olana some years ago. Highly recommended.
Enlightenment, please ...
Last weekend, Debbie and I watched a DVD of Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev, which is ostensibly about Russia's greatest painter of icons. Neither of us had ever seen a Tarkovsky film, though I have certainly heard a good deal about how highly they are thought of.
I was prepared for a movie that was long and slowly paced, with long takes and an elliptical narrative. Much of the film proved impressive - notably, the cinematography. And the acting.
But overall, both Debbie and I found the film did not live up to its reputation.
Length and a slow pace do not generally bother me if they are appropriate and done with economy. Anna Karenina, for instance, is certainly long, but its length seem proportionate and necessary. It never drags.
But I think Andrei Rublev would have benefited from tighter editing. The scene when the bell is about to be rung seems to be done in real time: It takes as long for the bell to actually be struck as it would in real life. But art is not a transcription of life. The suspense could have been achieved without duplicating how long it would actually have taken for the bell to be struck. As a result, instead of a feeling of supense, you get a feeling of impatience.
I also thought there was something gratuitous about the scenes of torture and cruelty. I realize that the Middle Ages were a harsh time, and were probably especially so in Russia. I can also understand the impersonality of the depictions (it is not always clear who is being tormented or why), that it demonstrates how routine and matter-of-fact such things must have been at the time. Still, there seemed to be something almost pornographic about the attention paid to the details of inflicting pain. It cannot be an accident that so much of the imagery that stays with one from this film is cruel - Kiril's beating to death the dog that runs after him after he leaves the monastery; the cow on fire during the raid; the horse falling down the steps; the man being tortured and then tied to a horse and dragged to his (by then merciful) death.
I suppose it is theoretically possible to make a film about a painter without ever showing him painting anything. But I can't see how it can be done without providing some insight into the painter's personality. Andrei Rublev is a peripheral character in this film. In fact, all the characters are peripheral, though it hard to say what it is they are peripheral to - the time, the place, history in general?
That is why - at least for Debbie and me - the final scene, when Andrei Rublev's dazzling icons are displayed on the screen in vibrant color (the rest of the film having been in black and white), pulls the rug out from under the film. I get the point - transcendent beauty emerging from a stark and cruel setting, but what we would most like to know - how it emerged - is precisely what the film does not address.
I was reminded of Ken Russell's film Savage Messiah, which purports to be a biography of the modernist sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. It mostly portrays the artist as leading a wild Bohemian existence. Then he enlists when World War I breaks out and is soon killed. His friends mount a retrospective in his honor and the film ends with a display of his work, effectively undercutting all that has gone before. Gaudier-Brzeska was 23 when he died. The works on display are both numerous and accomplished. He could not possibly have spent most of his time partying. He must have been working like hell.
Andrei Rublev is a much better film than Savage Messiah. But it sabotages itself in exactly the same way. So, while I find much to admire about the film, I am at a loss as to why it is so highly thought of. What am I missing?
I was prepared for a movie that was long and slowly paced, with long takes and an elliptical narrative. Much of the film proved impressive - notably, the cinematography. And the acting.
But overall, both Debbie and I found the film did not live up to its reputation.
Length and a slow pace do not generally bother me if they are appropriate and done with economy. Anna Karenina, for instance, is certainly long, but its length seem proportionate and necessary. It never drags.
But I think Andrei Rublev would have benefited from tighter editing. The scene when the bell is about to be rung seems to be done in real time: It takes as long for the bell to actually be struck as it would in real life. But art is not a transcription of life. The suspense could have been achieved without duplicating how long it would actually have taken for the bell to be struck. As a result, instead of a feeling of supense, you get a feeling of impatience.
I also thought there was something gratuitous about the scenes of torture and cruelty. I realize that the Middle Ages were a harsh time, and were probably especially so in Russia. I can also understand the impersonality of the depictions (it is not always clear who is being tormented or why), that it demonstrates how routine and matter-of-fact such things must have been at the time. Still, there seemed to be something almost pornographic about the attention paid to the details of inflicting pain. It cannot be an accident that so much of the imagery that stays with one from this film is cruel - Kiril's beating to death the dog that runs after him after he leaves the monastery; the cow on fire during the raid; the horse falling down the steps; the man being tortured and then tied to a horse and dragged to his (by then merciful) death.
I suppose it is theoretically possible to make a film about a painter without ever showing him painting anything. But I can't see how it can be done without providing some insight into the painter's personality. Andrei Rublev is a peripheral character in this film. In fact, all the characters are peripheral, though it hard to say what it is they are peripheral to - the time, the place, history in general?
That is why - at least for Debbie and me - the final scene, when Andrei Rublev's dazzling icons are displayed on the screen in vibrant color (the rest of the film having been in black and white), pulls the rug out from under the film. I get the point - transcendent beauty emerging from a stark and cruel setting, but what we would most like to know - how it emerged - is precisely what the film does not address.
I was reminded of Ken Russell's film Savage Messiah, which purports to be a biography of the modernist sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. It mostly portrays the artist as leading a wild Bohemian existence. Then he enlists when World War I breaks out and is soon killed. His friends mount a retrospective in his honor and the film ends with a display of his work, effectively undercutting all that has gone before. Gaudier-Brzeska was 23 when he died. The works on display are both numerous and accomplished. He could not possibly have spent most of his time partying. He must have been working like hell.
Andrei Rublev is a much better film than Savage Messiah. But it sabotages itself in exactly the same way. So, while I find much to admire about the film, I am at a loss as to why it is so highly thought of. What am I missing?
Something I missed (I think) ...
... and shouldn't have: The best bit of The Times. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
Say it ain't so ...
... Sunday Salon: is this the end for Petrona?
And it's not, really. Currently, there are 132 participants in The Sunday Salon. You can link to any of them from the list on the right.
And it's not, really. Currently, there are 132 participants in The Sunday Salon. You can link to any of them from the list on the right.
I know the feeling ...
... A farewell to copy. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
More here: Tribute to an old hand. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I remember Dave. Nice, quiet guy. Damned good copy editor.
More here: Tribute to an old hand. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I remember Dave. Nice, quiet guy. Damned good copy editor.
Belinda Subraman presents ...
... Patricia Smith: Four-time national poetry slam winner, author, teacher. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... Carlin Romano looks at Etgar Keret's stories: Untethered imagination looses tales.
... Elizabeth Fox is underwhelmed by Sophie Kinsella's latest: This worn plot device is better forgotten Lavinia, the woman Virgil slighted in 'The Aeneid'.
... Helen Mitsios likes Scott Spencer's new one: A world of women to appease.
... Elizabeth Fox is underwhelmed by Sophie Kinsella's latest: This worn plot device is better forgotten Lavinia, the woman Virgil slighted in 'The Aeneid'.
... Helen Mitsios likes Scott Spencer's new one: A world of women to appease.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Pre-emptive first strike ...
... the NYTBR reviews Mark Sarvas's Harry, Revised: The Trouble With Harry.
... of course, as is always the case, You'll Have to Decide on Your Own. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I haven't read Mark's book myself - the only copy I had I sent to the reviewer I assigned it to before I retired - but I have heard good things about it from a nukmber of reliable sources.
... of course, as is always the case, You'll Have to Decide on Your Own. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I haven't read Mark's book myself - the only copy I had I sent to the reviewer I assigned it to before I retired - but I have heard good things about it from a nukmber of reliable sources.
Take that ...
... From the annals of the academy: Prof sues students for criticizing her. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I am increasingly inclined to think that higher education is near to facing what newspapers are currently dealing with: a kind of oblivion.
I am increasingly inclined to think that higher education is near to facing what newspapers are currently dealing with: a kind of oblivion.
Unpredictable, uncontrollable ...
... The Evil Next Door. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I have spent more time than most in low places and I have known people who did evil acts simply because they enjoyed them. When I hear people go on as if human beings were all inherently good, I know I am listening to people lacking wide and deep experience of human behavior.
I have spent more time than most in low places and I have known people who did evil acts simply because they enjoyed them. When I hear people go on as if human beings were all inherently good, I know I am listening to people lacking wide and deep experience of human behavior.
Time for a quiz ...
... Think you know all things Bond . . . and Ian Fleming? (Hat tip, Paul Davis.)
All is not lost ...
... in translation. PEN World Voices: Publishers Weekly: On Translation report. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Self-published success ...
... Aim at 'spiritually interested' sparks 'The Shack' sales. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Friday, May 02, 2008
Philosophy is no substitute ...
... for literature: Ionesco & the Limits of Philosophy. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
PHYSICIAN: Yes, Sire, you are going to die. You won’t have your breakfast tomorrow. No dinner this evening either. The cook has turned off the gas. He’s given back his apron. He’s put the tablecloths and napkins in the cupboard for ever. KING: Who’s given such orders without my consent? I feel perfectly well. You’re joking. Lies. (To Marguerite.) You’ve always wanted me dead. (To Marie.) She’s always wanted me dead. (To Marguerite.) I’ll die when I like, I’m the King, it’s me who decides.
Musical splendor ...
... on Wednesday, Debbie and I went to hear Christoph Eschenbach conduct the Philadelphia and mucho choruses and soloists and Mahler's eighth symphony. It was marvelous. Here is my friend and former colleague David Stearns's review: Mahler's '8th' at Kimmel is something to be devoured.
Anglo-Saxon Easter ...
... Eosturmonath (April): the early English calendar. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
The burden of freedom ...
... Why do quite a lot of prisoners prefer life inside to life "on the out"? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Another batch ...
... of Last week's letters.
If you like books and reading, you really should subscribe to the TLS. There is plenty worth reading in it every week.
If you like books and reading, you really should subscribe to the TLS. There is plenty worth reading in it every week.
Interested in blogging?
... well, if you're in the Philly area, you might want to catch this: Drexel Bloggers Panel.
Two sides ...
... same coin.
First, Keep your damn eco-cars, say US politicians. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
And this: WHILE LECTURING US ON CONSERVATION.
Pandering, hypocritical politicians. Nothing new there.
First, Keep your damn eco-cars, say US politicians. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
And this: WHILE LECTURING US ON CONSERVATION.
Pandering, hypocritical politicians. Nothing new there.
There's more to it ...
... than what Jefferson had to say: George Washington and the Church State Question.
Time for a pity party ...
... ‘All the Sad Young Literary Men’. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
... one of Gessen’s characters says towards the end of the novel: “The trouble is that when you’re young you don’t know enough; you are constantly being lied to, in a hundred ways, so your ideas of what the world is like are jumbled; when you imagine the life you want for yourself, you imagine things that don’t exist. If I could have gone back and explained to my younger self what the real options were, what the real consequences for certain decisions were going to be, my younger self would have known what to choose. But at the time I didn’t know; and now, when I knew, my mind was too filled up with useless auxiliary information, and beholden to special interests, and I was confused.”
I was young once and knew then that I didn't know enough and I don't remember being lied to at all, let alone constantly, and of course if you're imagining your future you're imagining things that don't exist. Oh, and yes, hindsight is very sharp.
I was young once and knew then that I didn't know enough and I don't remember being lied to at all, let alone constantly, and of course if you're imagining your future you're imagining things that don't exist. Oh, and yes, hindsight is very sharp.
Birds, heresy and Starbucks ...
... The Thrush Nightingale Scandal, and Other Matters.
Like Nige - surprise, surprise - I'm no fan of Starbucks' overpriced and overrated coffee.
Like Nige - surprise, surprise - I'm no fan of Starbucks' overpriced and overrated coffee.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Plus ça change ...
... ‘Decade break’ in global warming. (Hat tip, Maxine Clarke.)
The NY Times wraps up its main piece with a useful quote from Kevin Trenberth, of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research: “Too many think global warming means monotonic relentless warming everywhere year after year. It does not happen that way.”
Now I wonder what prompted "too many" to think that.
The NY Times wraps up its main piece with a useful quote from Kevin Trenberth, of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research: “Too many think global warming means monotonic relentless warming everywhere year after year. It does not happen that way.”
Now I wonder what prompted "too many" to think that.
Why's he is school ...
... if he knows so much? Give me the lesson without the spin.
... author James Q. Wilson protests: Quit twisting my words. (Hat tip, Dave Lull - for both.)
... author James Q. Wilson protests: Quit twisting my words. (Hat tip, Dave Lull - for both.)
Notice how similar Master LaClair's reasoning is to that of those dreaded fundamentalists - take something out of context and understand it in a narrow, literal sense. One would have thought that the editor at the LAT who moved the piece would have taken the trouble of seeing if the kid's complaints were valid.
There's no stopping this guy ...
... Charles Darwin forges ahead.
Imagine. An old bearded bald dude who's been dead for more than a century. There's hope for us all.
Imagine. An old bearded bald dude who's been dead for more than a century. There's hope for us all.
Against dying wish ...
... but in accordance with posthumous permission: Nabokov Novel to Be Published.
Ron Rosenbaum is having second thoughts.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull - for both links.)
Ron Rosenbaum is having second thoughts.
(Hat tip, Dave Lull - for both links.)
Were you caught in traffic ...
... this morning? Then this one's for you: Congestion charge. What did the Romans do?
Evolution as theodicy ...
... Francisco J. Ayala: Roving Defender of Evolution, and of Room for God. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I certainly agree that evolution “is more consistent with belief in a personal god than intelligent design."
I certainly agree that evolution “is more consistent with belief in a personal god than intelligent design."
Oh, why not ...
... let's start the day being politically incorrect: stupid people, easily offended by intelligence.
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