February 2009
9 posts
“‘I would not kill even a Bishop. I would not kill a proprietor of any...”
– E. Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls
“1. That which exists has value.
2. Except for that which is intended to harm or...”
The Spoken Word
I had been planning to write an essay about how Obama co-opts the language of simplicity to discuss complexity, thereby sounding like Bush while thinking like, er, an adult, but Garth at The Millions beat me to it. And did it way better than I would have. So read this.
Listen to me tell a story about Moravia. This week...
Open Letter to President Obama
Dear Mr. President, This week, your Justice Department invoked former President George W. Bush’s horrifying “state secrets” powers to continue the government’s policies of “extraordinary rendition.” This is disgraceful. Just three weeks ago, you said “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” And we do, sir. Please put an end...
The Perils of Pet Ownership
me: hi!
Larke: hold on
cat just fell in the trash
me: blogged.
My Current Favorite Thing On the Internet →
Christoph Niemann sees New York in his sons’ LEGO.
The start of something.
(found in my notebook, scribbled down yesteryear, originally intended to be the beginning of something longer, which thing is now on the back-burner as more pressing deadlines loom)
When it began, it was in such small ways that nobody took notice. A small crack appeared in a wall, and all of the usual culprits were blamed: poor workmanship, deterioration with age, sudden shift in humidity....
Excerpt from "How A Student Should Behave" by John...
fancyprosestyle:
The sage of Miletus set down these rules of polite behaviour for which we should be grateful. Regulate your household soberly; do your civic duties cheerfully; have a word of greeting for strangers as for friends; do your utmost to avoid altercations with irate associates; with a smile and a witticism cover up the faults of others; be faultless at table, glad even to entertain...