Sunday's Quote

Here's something to keep in mind as we watch the events unfolding in Egypt and elsewhere. It's statement from the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga (1872-1945):

"History can predict nothing except that
great changes in human relationships will
never come about in the form in which
they have been anticipated."

Pretty Song

Karen Bergquist of Over the Rhine singing a Leonard Cohen song. I'm not sure it gets much better than this:

Four Pictures: Pompeii

These are from my trip to Italy about eleven years ago. The last stop on the itinerary was the city of Pompeii, destroyed by a volcano hundreds of years ago and recently dug out to some degree.

A lot of the town was amazingly well-preserved, though there was very little that was entirely intact anymore. You do get a sense, from the ruins, of what a prosperous place the town was in its heyday. Lots of great architecture and art evident in the remains.

I wish I'd had a digital camera back then, as I was running low on film by the time we got there, and so I didn't take as many pictures as I would've liked. These are some that I've recently scanned and digitized (including a little cleanup). Maybe I'll come across a few more as I go through my boxes of negatives.

Saturday Morning Cartoon

With just a couple more days until Spring Training arrives, I thought it appropriate to post a baseball-oriented cartoon, and this is a pretty good one (lots of great visual puns):

A Saturday Quote

Some words of wisdon from, of all people, comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks:

"Look, I don't want to wax philosophic,
but I will say that if you're alive you've
got to flap your arms and legs, you've
got to jump around a lot, for life is the
very opposite of death, and therefore
you must at very least think noisy and
colorfully, or you're not alive."

A Classic Scene

Here's a clip from the aforementioned Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (last post). You could show this in political science classes, it's such a clear explanation of how Congress works. It doesn't hurt that Jean Arthur does the explaining-- for my money she was probably the best actress of her generation. Jimmy Stewart's pretty good too...

The Greatest Movie Year Ever

Some time back my sister Liz suggested I do a series commenting on the movies of 1939, which is often said to be the greatest year in the history of the cinematic arts. I started to do that, but then got distracted, though I hope to post at least a few more reviews of my favorites from that year. I bring it up now though to give a heads up to those of you who have access to the Turner Classics Movies channel. All day tomorrow they will be showing the ten movies that were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award in 1939 . I'm not convinced these are in fact the ten best of that year (I think my favorite from the list would be either Stagecoach or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, neither of which won the Oscar-- you can probably figure out which one did), but I guess you can be the judge of that by camping in front of the TV tomorrow.

Friday Family Blogging Quiz

Okay, here's a nice picture of Natalie enjoying her swing in Gramma's backyard. Ah, but this is a cropped photo, and your task is to tell me who is cut out of the right side of the photo (you can just see the leg of the individual in the lower right corner). Put your guesses in the comments section.

Last week we had a very spirited competition, as you tried to guess who the toddler in the picture was. I thought I had you all stumped until a late entry this afternoon, in which Sally correctly identified herself (somewhat tentatively I might add). I really didn't think that was going to be so tough. By the way, here's the source photo (anyone care to guess who the infant in the foreground is?).

Political Comment

Evidently, the new governor of Wisconsin is a moron. No doubt a lot of people won't see it that way, but in the midst of a gigantic upheaval with massive international implications out of Egypt-- an uprising everyone agrees is a near-spontaneous demand for greater freedom for the average citizen of that country-- Gov. Walker has decided to unilaterally strip workers in his state of their rights to bargain for better working conditions. It's an obnoxious and cynical ploy to curry favor with Tea Party types, who fail to understand that budget difficulties are not the result of wages earned (and I do mean earned) by teachers, police, fire-fighters, and other public-sector employees. I'd be curious to know how many people watching the coverage of events in Egypt (and Tunisia and Yemen and elsewhere) even recognize that political stunts like this one hint that our own country is moving in the opposite direction of the kind of progress we hope will emerge in the Middle East. Or, to put it more bluntly, if we are ever to see true democratic reform in other parts of the world (as we claim to desire) it will have to begin with recognition of workers' rights. The big irony in all of this is that the concept of forging a productive relationship between the public and private sectors to benefit all citizens was successfully initiated over a hundred years ago by Robert LaFollette... the then governor of Wisconsin. It would be truly tragic if Brown is as deaf to the lessons of the past as he apparently is to the lessons of the present.

More Friday Family Blogging

I can't remember if I ever posted this one before; but it's one of my favorites, so if so, you get to see it again. Maria and Joseph (and me) in Virginia City.

Friday Family Blogging

Looks like Gerik is testing his boundaries in this photo; luckily his mom is keeping a watchful eye...

Friday Philosophy

Here's something good and thoughtful from the renowned Hungarian literary critic Georg Lukacs (1885-1971):

"From the ethical point of view, no one can escape responsibility with the excuse that he is only an individual, on whom the fate of the world does not depend. Not only can this not be known objectively for certain, because it is always possible that it will depend precisely on the individual, but this kind of thinking is also made impossible by the very essence of ethics, by conscience and the sense of responsibility."

A Favorite Song

I discovered the Go Betweens after their breakup in the eighties. But lucky for me (not to mention all their other fans) they eventually got back together and recorded a series of really fine later albums. I think the best of those is Oceans Apart, on which you will find this particular tune:

The Coolest Thing I've Seen in Awhile

No kidding, this is something that will really impress you. I'm hoping to get to New York City this summer, just to go see this in person. It's the kind of thing that makes me think that everyone is capable of creating something amazing with a bit of time and effort.

Toonerville Thursday

Time for our weekly visit to the town of Toonerville, with a focus on the young'uns this time. I hope you enjoy the visit.

Today's Quote

Here's a great line from the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855):

"The more a man can forget, the greater the
number of metamorphoses which his life can
undergo; the more he can remember, the
more divine his life becomes."

A Doo Wop Classic

The Five Satins were contemporaries of the Clovers, though their style was somewhat smoother and romantic, while the Clovers rocked somewhat more. Anyway, here's the Satins performing their big hit, "In the Still of the Night" from 1956:

Just a Few More Days...

... until pitchers and catchers report! Spring is on the horizon, and with temperatures here in SW Montana hovering around 5 degrees Fahrenheit, believe me I'm ready to believe that the warm weather is right around the corner. And nothing signals Spring to me like baseball!

Wednesday's Quote

Good words of advice from Schroeder's (you know, the pianist from Peanuts) favorite composer, Ludwig Von Beethoven (1770-1827):

“Then let us all do what is right, strive
with all our might toward the unattainable,
develop as fully as we can the gifts God
has given us, and never stop learning”

Great Great Song

Back when I was writing my dissertation, I listened to the Clovers a lot-- something about their rhythms was conducive to writing I guess. I actually used the name of this song as one of my chapter titles (it was about the payola scandal in the late fifties). Without doubt, one of the finest vocal groups of all time: