Tuesday, August 28. 2007
 John O'Sullivan returns to the UK and sees little hope for its rotting social condition:
It didn't happen overnight. Breaking down a strong culture of civic self-control takes time and several social acids.
Indeed it does, but I am not sure which "culture of civic self-control" is referred to. Seems to me that the "privileged" in Britain were always free to do as they pleased - and did. Anyway, No Pasaran comments on O'Sullivan's piece, re the impact of the 60s on Britain: For all the “revolution’s” intent of fostering freedom, all they have made for themselves is precisely the opposite: a nanny state with neither the social ease of a safe street, or the confidence that one can freely air your views.
Thus asks Firedoglake. Definitely - twisted as a pretzel, every last one of 'em. You can just tell by how often they talk about values and Jesus and families and guns and war and all that: it's a cover-up, of course, so their lace undergarments don't show. To prove my point, use the "Sen. Larry Craig Test": When next in the presence of a suspected Republican, stamp your foot twice on the ground. If the suspect turns and looks, it's proof that you have a twisted perv in your vicinity. (Apparently that is the highway and airport men's room signal that you are looking for fun. Barney Frank can fill you in.) To be serious for a moment, though, I feel sorry for folks like Larry Craig. Leading a divided, furtive life as he appears to have been doing must be a terrible way to live, and it should not be necessary in 2007. The moral of the story remains this: if you want to be in public life, decide how you want to deal with your personal stuff first... unless you happen to be a Dem, in which case you are immunized.
 All your children are belong to us. The Brit Big Brother child registry. How soon before they stick a GPS monitoring device in each one of them?
Keep your kid out of kindergarten: At NRO Lots of good guest bloggers at Jules this week. Hello, Sailor. It's about Napoleon Mother Theresa's struggles with faith (plus a word about Princess Diana). More thoughts on her "blessing of struggle" at S,C and A. Is Middle Eastern Studies an academic discipline or a political movement? Winfield Myers (h/t, a piece at Augean Stables) Do you have a Melissa Theuriau obsession? Apparently, many do. She is cute for sure, but lacks the edgy, reckless dangerousness one might prefer in fantasy females. Johns Hopkins is rethinking sex assignment surgery. Small Dead Pangolins. Glad to hear it. I like the quote from Dr. McHugh. Why some Dems are completely wrong about subprime loan remedies. Reason The Borderline Sociopathic Book for Boys. Sippican Illegals moving out. Polipundit. It isn't really very complicated. How black law students can get screwed by affirmative action. Ace Think you are horny? Meet Lurch: get a load of this beast. It's about the feedback loop. Climate, by Coyote, our reality-checker. Tell me again - what is Hillary Clinton's experience? Wizbang. In my opinion, she is a press-invented celeb candidate, and nothing more. Crafty? Yes. Wise? I don't see it. Healthy fear. It is healthy and normal to fear Moslems, says Dr. Sanity How do snakes live 6 months without food? They can keep growing too.
Thanks, reader, for another photo from Saint-Gaudens' summer home in Cornish, NH. 
Monday, August 27. 2007
Don't miss it. It begins in the early morning here in the East, so it will be too late to see the full effect. I'll be up at 5 to watch, and to milk the cows.
We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come. Prime Minister John Howard, as quoted at Blair.
 Born in Dublin, raised in New York City, Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) epitomizes beaux-arts sculpture.
The subject arises because a friend was banging around the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (his summer home) in Cornish, NH last week. This place was news to me, and my knowledge of Saint-Gaudens was minimal. His summer home has hosted artists like Winston Churchill and Maxfield Parrish, and was Woodrow Wilson's Summer White House. Photo is his sculpture of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, a mean, tough SOB - and it shows (Apologies to our Georgia readers, but don't blame Sherman. Blame Lincoln and Grant. Sherman was following orders when he fought and burned his way through Georgia).
 Morgan Meis reviews 1001 Paintings You Should See Before You Die in a piece entitled A Dilettante's Guide to Art.
"1001 Paintings You Should See Before You Die acknowledges the question "What is Painting?" The answer: "Who cares?""
What I found especially useful about the review is that it puts Modernism in perspective - not as the End of Art, but just as another phase in a long, ongoing story of "what painters do." Here's a quote: A weird thing happened to painting during the 20th century. In the eyes of many painters and critics, the little problems of painting became the big problem of “Painting” itself. People suddenly became motivated to paint by asking themselves, “What Is Painting?” The attitude of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die is to collapse this problem back into the history of little problems, to flatten out 20th century artistic practice and put it back into the ongoing history of “things painters do.” The way our woman in black from Brown looks at it, Malevich is a worthy painter and we want to include his paintings in our book. But in doing so we are also implicitly if not explicitly punching a hole in the metaphysics that motivated him to paint as he painted. We're implicitly denying that there could have been a definitive final act in painting or that painting could ever have achieved its own end. We are rejecting the idea that painting was ever really in crisis at all. We are disproving Malevich even as we laud him.
An excellent essay. Read the whole thing. Image: Kasimir Malevich's Black Circle
Sunday, August 26. 2007
I have no doubt that we are fortunate to live in the best of times. Tigerhawk considers Goklany's book on the subject.
I could not resist taking a couple of photos. The 16 year-old pup baked some cakes and stuff last night, and threw a Victorian tea party for her pals for after church. Croquet to follow. It's proof to me that there is hope for the American youth. And hats are fine things on ladies, are they not? 
A birthday with an "0" in it, down on the coast last night. Nice views from the place, with some good-looking duck hunting spots to bear in mind for November:  Water toys ready to go: 
View from the driveway: 
Luke 13: 21-30 22Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. 29Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Saturday, August 25. 2007
It sounds like Luciano has terminal cancer - pancreatic. How did he get to be 70 so fast? He has provided joy to millions in his life, including to me. God bless him.
You know it's there, but you just can't find it, like wasting ten minutes looking for a great (in your memory) 2 year-old post - it's in there somewhere, but where? And filed under what category?  Department of Complaints Department Department: Praise for Maggie's Farm from All Over
Scruton on the Dangers of Internationalism A few fun links on pre-1900 education in the US M200 Carbine The New York Cosmo - Nobody can drink just one A damn good steak - just had another one of these last night. Best with thick Rib-eyes, I think. Maximum heat, black on the surface and raw in the middle. As I say, I will never eat a charcoal-grilled steak again, at least at home.
Friday, August 24. 2007
Grow a Brain has an assortment of Dylan-related links.
Did I miss a memo? Sippican Why America commonly doesn't educate. Never Yet Melted Photo from Sippican, who I think will forgive the theft.
 According to our friend Sippican, who kindly forwarded this photo of Sonny Boy Williamson, King Biscuit Time, later known as King Biscuit Flour Hour, was the longest-running radio program in history.
Williamson (posted yesterday) was their first featured performer. Photos like this one lead me into the wonderful Southland of my imagination.
Thursday, August 23. 2007
A reader likes to highlight the distinctions between a Democracy and a Republic, and recommends this very clear brief essay on the subject. It's worth reminding oneself about this.
Wednesday, August 22. 2007
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