The number of Christian believers in Germany has been falling rapidly, and this presents a problem: what to do with all those empty churches? Maybe it’s time to re-purpose them as mosques – it’s certainly happened before; just ask the … Continue reading →
I’m extremely pleased to announce that Gerard Van der Leun’s poetry book, Into the Smoke of the World and other poems, is ready for purchase. Poetry was very dear to Gerard’s heart, and this beautiful book features almost all of … Continue reading →
Too many murders, both of the public political and jihadi type, and of the private. They signify different things and threaten different things, but there’s this quality to it: Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed … Continue reading →
I’m happy to report that I finally found a printer that can put out a version with which I’m satisfied, and I gave them the go-ahead. I originally thought the book would be available around Thanksgiving time, but that obviously … Continue reading →
Switching it up: Originally conceived by George Orwell as a satirical allegory for the Russian Revolution and the subsequent struggles of the USSR under the rule of Joseph Stalin, Animal Farm’s political ire is redirected in this lively CG-animated adaptation … Continue reading →
I had originally thought Gerard’s poetry book would be ready for sale by November 1. Dream on. Then it seemed highly likely it would be ready by December 1. But then I ran into printer troubles. Trust me – you … Continue reading →
I’ve been making turkey soup with the leftovers from Thanksgiving, which this year in my case amounts to about 95% of a cooked turkey. Turkey soup always sounds so easy, and is one of the reasons I like to make … Continue reading →
In this post I’ll be presenting the “Two Minutes Hate” excerpt from Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. I think the template for the passage’s physical description of Goldstein (the object of the Hate) may have been Trotsky, at least in part. Here’s … Continue reading →
I thought I was finished with my work on formatting the poetry book by Gerard. I sent the PDF to the printer a couple of days ago – hooray! – and got back a proof that alas, didn’t look quite … Continue reading →
The guy who made this video, Chris, has a channel in which he goes around spotting people who look interesting to him, and he talks to them and offers to take their photos. Here’s one: And now for some music … Continue reading →
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been seven-plus years since I put up my present neo-apple photo. That makes it outdated, although I like to think I haven’t changed that much (although the apple has; but that can be replaced). … Continue reading →
This seemed like a most unusual spambot, with a rather elegant and “literary” sound to it: The landlady sobbing and wailing at her forlorn condition like a peasant woman. So I looked it up, and sure enough, it’s from this … Continue reading →