From the Nadezhda Mandelstam chapter of Clive James’ excellent Cultural Amnesia [in the following excerpts I have Americanized the British spelling): The main difference [between the Gulag and Hitler’s Reich] was that in Nazi Europe the victims knew…who they were, … Continue reading →
After I posted that video about voice recognition systems and accents, a reader kindly sent me a link to this one: The Scots accent is inherently funny (is that un-PC to say, or is it okay because they’re white?) because … Continue reading →
I was having trouble with my iPod the other day, and while trying to troubleshoot it (it’s fixed now) I came across an entry in my iTunes library that was part of a reel-to-reel tape I had originally made in … Continue reading →
…all is irony. The author focuses on irony and lack of seriousness in art. But the hegemony of irony is certainly something I’ve noticed getting more and more widespread in recent years. It seems to be the default position of … Continue reading →
I can’t tell a Stradivarius from a Curtin. But neither, it seems, could a bunch of professional concert violinists: There were 12 instruments, six old and six new, with new ones “antiqued” to appear older. The violinists, 10 professional soloists, … Continue reading →
I noticed that, for whatever reason, a “worry” theme has emerged today in my posts (see also this). Which gave me the idea for a musical interlude from one of my very favorite groups: And as a bonus:
Continue reading →I would love to see this exhibit. And what a great interview. Note the reference to Churchill, the humor, and the relaxed and affectionate interplay between the family members, as well as Bush’s articulate and fluid manner of speaking. Gone … Continue reading →
Taken for a 1952 photo essay in Life, this picture was one of a series that never got published in the original article:
Continue reading →Yesterday I wrote a post featuring this charming photo of the young and growing royal family: What do I like about the photo? It’s not really the subject matter; I’m not so much into the royals, although I think this … Continue reading →
I’ve seen a couple of these Princess Cruise ads on TV, and they really drew my attention. I think they’re brilliant, actually. In a rut? The ads sell the company’s cruises as a way to get out of that rut, … Continue reading →
Basically, what they’re reading is a lot of what used to be called porn. And I don’t mean sneaking around to get it, or looking at it online. I mean that the young adult book market—books written expressively for young … Continue reading →
You may think the title of this post is some sort of joke, but it’s not. Michael Totten, traveler to the world’s most dangerous countries and reporter extraordinaire, has indeed written a zombie novel. Now, I know Michael Totten, and … Continue reading →