August 2008
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Hiking with Jane
My sister Jane has been visiting, and we’ve gone on four killer hikes this week. Yesterday we hiked to Naomi Peak, to my mind the most stunning hike in the area. Some pics: Continue reading
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Marriott’s The Lost Tribe
I just finished this account of a journalist’s encounter with a “lost tribe” in New Guinea, that is, a group of people who had not encountered Europeans prior to 1993. The book is riveting, almost despite itself. Marriott strikes me as naive, foolish, and often obtuse, but, boy, can he write a story. He decides… Continue reading
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Woody Allen’s philosophy
resonates with me. Here is an excerpt from an article (Konigsberg = Allen): Konigsberg states that his reading of philosophy and literature is mainly an attempt to help him answer the ultimate question about life: its purpose and values in its relation to death. “I think the most important issues to me are what one’s… Continue reading
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More Oregon pics
We had a great time visiting the Oregon coast and Portland with family. Some more snapshots: Continue reading
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For me? 13, it turns out
How many five year olds could you take in a fight? Continue reading
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“24” does more than “reflect” government policy….
… it shapes it. Check out this Newsweek piece by Dahlia Lithwick about 24‘s influence on those who design and sit in judgment of the US’s torture practices. An excerpt: According to British lawyer and writer Sands, Jack Bauer—played by Kiefer Sutherland—was an inspiration at early “brainstorming meetings” of military officials at Guantánamo in September… Continue reading
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Handey vs. Heidegger
Check out the contest over at cliché reality. And while you’re at it, read how Handey wants to be remembered in this New Yorker piece. An excerpt: No one is really sure how old Jack was, but some think he may have been born as long ago as the twentieth century. He passed away after… Continue reading
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New meaning to moronic comic strip
I just love it when someone unlocks the secret to find meaning in an otherwise moronic comic strip. Like Nietzsche Family Circus, Garfield minus Garfield brings an existential dimension to idiocy. In this case, the effect is achieved by simply removing the damn cat, and everything he says, from the strip. (Thanks to nephew Matt… Continue reading
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No country for old men
Finally saw the film last night; I read the book months ago. No one equals Cormac McCarthy in portraying a pitiless, random, violent universe, occupied by pitiless, random, violent human beings. The film is great, and captures the novel perfectly. In one respect it’s better: Chigurh’s speeches aren’t as long and preachy. The best line… Continue reading
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