"Sea Creature sighted between Antibes and Nice 1462" from Medieval Woodcuts Clipart Collection 

filmed interview with William Gaddis

William Gaddis on the Web

Fire the Bastards! Jack Green takes on contemporary reviews of William Gaddis' "The Recognitions"--little has changed, and this is still the best reverse primer on book reviewing ever.

review of The Open
"In 1964, Giorgio Agamben, then just twenty-two years old, played Philip the Apostle in Pier Paolo Pasolini's film The Gospel According to St. Matthew... "

I just watched this. Everybody in that movie looks like someone you know anyway. 

good review of Rev. Billy's book, which I also liked.

"Talen's belief in the power of literature and storytelling is rarely encountered in activist circles. Throughout "What Should I Do", he posits that our culture is constructed on a foundation of stories, but those core cultural myths are increasingly peddled and copyrighted by a few giant corporations: 'merchandising vehicles that...never have the qualities of a well-told story, because such a thing would compete with the selling of the products.' According to Talen, 'A really powerful story is not easily controlled as it passes into the rapt audience. A real story must have in it...the Unknown.' " 

the late Robert Urich as the vaguely Clintonesque Jake Spoon in "Lonesome Dove"
(Larry McMurtry on Clinton's book)  

scroll down at rob mclennan's blog for a review of Gerry Gilbert's "Moby Jane" 

very well done site devoted to every aspect of theFrench Broad River Watershed  

How the Bloc Will Save Canada
"They will hold the balance of power, and that will allow them to either block the Conservatives' Bush-like agenda, or force the Liberals to make good on some of their promises.

Either way, with separatism on the back burner, it's good news for the majority of Canadians."
 

Dictionary Don "Sources said another memo signed by Rumsfeld authorizes forcing detainees to stand for up to four hours at a time. 'I stand for eight hours a day,' scribbled Rumsfeld at the bottom of the page..."

Rumsfeld and the Dictionary

"'There is no wiggle room in the president's mind or my mind about torture,' he said.

'That is not something that's permitted under the Geneva Convention or the laws of the United States.

'That is not to say that somebody else couldn't characterise something in a way that would fit what I described,' he added.
He noted that some have described the indefinite detention of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a form of mental torture.

'Therefore, that word is used by some people in a way that is fair from their standpoint, but doesn't fit a dictionary definition of the word that one would normally accept,' Mr Rumsfeld said. "


from the OED:

TORTURE

1. The infliction of severe bodily pain, as punishment or a means of persuasion; spec. judicial torture, inflicted by a judicial or quasi-judicial authority, for the purpose of forcing an accused or suspected person to confess, or an unwilling witness to give evidence or information; a form of this (often in pl.). to put to (the) torture, to inflict torture upon, to torture.

1551 Acts Privy Counc. (1891) III. 407 Assisting to the sayd Commissioners for the putting the prisoners+to suche tortours as they shall think expedient. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 131 You did deuise Strange Tortures for Offendors. 1608 D. Price Chr. Warre 21 To punish the bad, and to prouide some sharpe and fearful tortors for them. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. iv. 10 We put the Captain and Pilot to torture, who instantly confessed. 1708 Act 7 Anne c. 21 §5 After [1 July 1709] no Person accused of any Capital Offence or other Crime in Scotland, shall suffer, or be subject or liable to any Torture. 1769 Blackstone Comm. (1830) IV. xxv. 326 They erected a rack for torture. 1838 Thirlwall Greece III. xxv. 393 Pisander moved that the persons+should be put to the torture, that all their accomplices might be known. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. (1871) I. 16 According to law, torture+could not+be inflicted on an English subject. 1882 Gardiner Hist. Eng. (1884) VI. lxv. 359 note 2 Torture had been allowed [in England] by custom as inflicted by the prerogative, but not by law.+ Torture was inflicted as late as 1640 by prerogative.

2. Severe or excruciating pain or suffering (of body or mind); anguish, agony, torment; the infliction of such.

c1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 269 Doe you preferre the horrible tortures of warre beefore tranquillitee? 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1287 And that deepe torture may be cal'd a Hell, When more is felt than one hath power to tell. 1612 Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. (1653) 185 Pain and torture of the intestines. 1659 H. More Immort. Soul ii. x. §6. 220 Who would bear the tortures of Fears and Jealousies, if he could avoid it? 1734 Bp. Petre Let. in E. H. Burton Life Challoner (1909) I. 93 He wasted away by degrees under the torture of the Strangury. 1744 M. Bishop Life & Adv. 52 They were in such great Torture, wishing they had never come to Sea. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian ii, He determined to relieve himself from the tortures of suspense. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 353 As in one or other stage Of a torture writhe they.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Scanning Project (thanks wood s lot) 

Canada 2004 - Election Prediction Project nice to see they agree with my call on Nanaimo-Cowichan...

2004 Federal Election - Links to Use and Amuse

The Naked Maja has a thoughtful (I'd never made the "Sunday Morning"/"Northern Sky" celeste connection, for instance) list of favorite British records including the song that haunted my fifth year, until replaced by Gary Lewis & the Playboys "This Diamond Ring".

"The Tornados' "Telstar," number one everywhere in the autumn of 1962, seemed to come from a place that the Shadows were unable to reach; unquestionably futuristic, slightly threatening but ultimately one of the saddest pop records ever made."

I could never quite hate Margaret Thatcher as much when I heard it was her favorite record, too. (more on "Telstar" auteur Joe Meek ) here. 

Arctic explorer tabby cat honoured
" Mrs Chippy, who became the ship's mascot, took great delight in leaping across the kennel roofs of the sledging dogs, tantalisingly out of reach. " (thanks Daphne) 

aeroplastics 

Chapagetti has wonderful thick potato-based noodles and a strong, sweet fermented brown broth & also comes with a wee envelope of onion oil. All for less than a dollar. 

The Early Days of a Better Nation

"When the President claims for himself powers outlawed in every country issuing from the English Revolution, and last exercised when James the II & VII personally supervised the splitting of Presbyterian shins, I guess we have to admit that in the long run the English Revolution failed.

Oh well. Freedom can always choose another people. "

a Fred Neil kind of day around the Manse... 

numerous & cool Roadmaps (via) 

Ed Dorn on Milton at Black Mountain--

ED DORN: I'm glad you noticed that, because aside from the literature I got there--and I've had to go back, frankly, and really repair leaks in the plumbing, because at Black Mountain it wasn't a thorough education, it was a fanatical education. It did cover a lot, but there was a lot also they didn't cover. Nobody had heard of Milton there, for instance. You get out in the real world of literature, and you haven't read Milton, it's like a joke.

EFFIE MIHOPOULOS: Though you're probably better off, not having read Milton.

ED DORN: That was the point encouraged at Black Mountain, but I found that later to be quite untrue. Ignorance is NOT bliss.  

lovepundits

BROKAW: Tim, we've been pals and we've been colleagues, but I say this in the most unalloyed fashion. I'm really proud of you, and I'm especially proud of the book that you've done because it's a gift not just to your family, but it's really a gift to our time. And so congratulations.

RUSSERT: Thank you, pal.