Published August 15, 2008 | 
Quote of the Day
What really shapes and conditions and makes us is somebody only a few of us ever have the courage to face: and that is the child you once were, long before formal education ever got its… Continue reading
Published August 1, 2008 | Yosemite
Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.–Ansel Adams
For me, his words evoke that country even better than his photographs of it.… Continue reading
Published July 21, 2008 | ANNALS OF PTSD: One More Casualty
Joseph Dwyer was a hero who became famous for carrying a wounded child toward help, an act of courage documented in one of the most famous photographs to emerge from the Iraq War.
Published July 20, 2008 | After 32 Years, Network Still Nails It
Network is probably the greatest rant movie ever made. (I can’t think of another contender with so many great rants from so many different characters.) And this rant (newscaster Howard Beale’s magnificent on-air… Continue reading
Published July 15, 2008 | Officially Cheerful
Had a rough day? Stressed about the looming Apocalypse and your dwindling bank balance? You need James Lileks. You need The Institute of Official Cheer. It’s got everything, all enhanced by elegantly phrased snarky commentary:
Published July 8, 2008 | IN MEMORIAM: Thomas M. Disch
He wrote beautiful prose. He wrote beautiful poetry. The rage and pain and beauty of his work shone like supernovas at sunset. He was viciously original and sometimes just vicious.
He was notoriously hard to… Continue reading
Published June 25, 2008 | Remembering History
On June 25, 1876, the Sioux and Cheyenne (under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse) defeated the Seventh Cavalry (under George Armstrong Custer) at the battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer’s detachment was wiped out. The… Continue reading
Published June 16, 2008 | Better Than Bloomsday
Legal same-sex marriage starts today in California.
A very happy wedding season to all who can finally marry their partners, and may you live to see your marriage recognized and respected everywhere in the world.
Published May 21, 2008 | As Nanny Ogg Would Say, Tempers Fuggit
I went to Office Depot today, looking for a replacement stylus for my Palm. It’s not new — I replaced my old M100 a year or so ago, choosing a low-end, monochrome model… Continue reading
Published May 19, 2008 | May We Have the Envelope, Please?
The National Trust’s 2008 list of Most Endangered Places is out. This annual rite gathers historians, naturalists, and architects in nail-biting suspense. What monuments to our heritage are closest to being razed, paved, or… Continue reading