1. My latest addiction has been police body cam videos. Partly this is to study what real violent incidents look like for safety and awareness purposes, though there also something perversely fascinating of watching just how stupid some people can be. What I find most impressive is when the cops remain calm and unflappable when … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: Police, ‘Beowulf’ and Miscellaneous
Literature
‘Animal Farm’ at the Everyman
My latest is up at the Everyman, discussing Animal Farm and the lie of equality: It is said that you should never judge a book by its cover or a film by its trailer. This is fair, except that covers and trailers both exist to be judged; to give the potential audience some idea what … Continue reading ‘Animal Farm’ at the Everyman
Monday Motley: ‘Taming of the Shrew’ and Statehood
1. I took a quick trip to Maine this weekend to see my niece and nephew in a play, as well as to celebrate my father's birthday, hence why this is coming late. 2. The play was The Taming of the Shrew, the second time I've seen it recently (a friend was also in a … Continue reading Monday Motley: ‘Taming of the Shrew’ and Statehood
Friday Flotsam: Christmas, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Rebecca’
1. A Merry Christmas! 2. It's been a very laid back, half-hearted kind of Christmas on my end, keeping with the whole of these past few months. The experience has been (so I imagine) similar to that of a functional alcoholic; there are good days and bad days, and a kind of fog over everything, … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Christmas, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Rebecca’
Sunday Sundry: Principles of Unity
1. A bout of insomnia this week left me only half-rational, hence why this is extra late. 2. Unity – ‘Oneness’ – is one of the transcendentals: qualities of Being that transcend the Ten Categories. It is the ability to speak of something as a single unit or concept. Coupled with this is Distinction: that … Continue reading Sunday Sundry: Principles of Unity
Friday Flotsam: Washington, ‘Dorian Gray’ and ‘The Odyssey’
1. My judgment is that the American Revolution was one of the stupidest, most asinine and unnecessary revolts in history. And yet, the figure of Washington gilds this absurdity with such sublime heroism that it nearly outweighs every other consideration. I think that might be a good summation of the American character: objective absurdity overlaid … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Washington, ‘Dorian Gray’ and ‘The Odyssey’
Sunday Sundry: A Little Politics and The Little Prince
1. This year was my first time reading The Little Prince, at least in full (I'd read sections of it before). That has already become one of my Golden Books; one of the most beautiful, dream-like descriptions of love and innocence that I've ever read. It's short, but as dense as solid gold. 2. "And … Continue reading Sunday Sundry: A Little Politics and The Little Prince
Sunday Sundry: Politics and Some ‘Pride and Prejudice’
1. It has been that kind of week: the ones where you wonder if you will be telling young people some day "I remember when that happened." Things seem to be escalating, and though I pray I'm wrong, I suspect they'll get worse before they get better. 2. All states have factions. States tend to … Continue reading Sunday Sundry: Politics and Some ‘Pride and Prejudice’
A Few “War of the Worlds” Thoughts
As it's on my curriculum, I recently re-read The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Being by Wells, it is full of brilliantly realized, prescient ideas and characters who are either variations on Wells himself or caricatures of people he didn't like (Wells, so far as I have read him, only ever created one … Continue reading A Few “War of the Worlds” Thoughts
Saturday Sundry: Kill a Mockingbird and Stop Killing Games
1. I somehow escaped reading To Kill a Mockingbird during my school career. But since the 'sequel' (which, as I understand it, is actually a rough draft that Harper Lee's estate found in her papers and published with minimal involvement from her, but that's another story) is on my reading list this year, so I … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: Kill a Mockingbird and Stop Killing Games
Serpent's Den 