OPW: “Beside the Point”
2007-12-07 13:15:40
Today’s “Other People’s Words” is a poem about what’s really important. It’s called “Beside the Point” by Stephen Cushman.
The sky has never won a prize.
The clouds have no careers.
The rainbow doesn’t say my work,
thank goodness.
The rock in the creek’s not so productive.
The mud on the bank’s not too pragmatic.
There’s nothing useful in the noise
the wind makes in the leaves.
Buck up now, my fellow superfluity,
and let’s both be of that worthless ilk,
self-indulgent as shooting stars,
self-absorbed as sunsets.
Who cares if we’re inconsequential?
At least we can revel, two good-for-nothings,
in our irrelevance; at least come and make
no difference with me.
Of Teddy Bears and Ignorance
2007-12-05 12:25:39
By now you’ve probably heard something about a teddy bear in the news. But it seems to me that the way people understood the story had a lot to do with where they heard about it. So in the tradition of this piece, I’ve created two very different interpretations pared down from different news sources.
First we have, edited from Andrew Heavens’s story of last Friday, what I like to call “Crazy Muslims At it Again”:
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Hundreds of Sudanese Muslims, waving green Islamic flags, took to the streets of Khartoum on Friday demanding death for the British teacher convicted of insulting Islam after her class named a teddy bear Mohammad.
“No one lives who insults the Prophet,” the protesters chanted, a day after school teacher Gillian Gibbons, 54, was sentenced to 15 days in jail and deportation from Sudan.
At least 1,000 protesters shook their fists or waved banners or ceremonial swords and chanted religious and nationalist slogans after
Read more: Bears
The Mandarins
2007-12-06 11:01:29
A few days ago I created a new text document on my desktop—the way I almost always jot down notes when I’m at the computer—and titled it “the mandarins” and put this inside:
I used to believe that the world was controlled by extraordinary individuals who were somehow different than people like me. I’ve come to realize that the world is filled with extraordinary individuals like me and run by no one.
As with all seemingly-profound insights I have, I quickly realized its flaws. The most glaring to me is how hollow this sentiment is in an authoritarian state. Perhaps those leading a state, Burma for example, are no more exceptional than their citizens but they are clearly and unquestionably running the state.
The same can be asserted, to varying degrees, in all countries which currently exist. Perhaps George Bush doesn’t run the world, but it’s hard to deny that he could make life profoundly uncomfortable for almost anyone anywhere in the wo
In Defense of Wikipedia
2007-12-04 12:16:51
For those not following closely, it’s probably news that Wikipedia
’s management structure—Wikipedia has a management structure?—is being critiqued because of what The Register, an online technology newspaper, said was new evidence that “the site’s top administrators are using a secret insider mailing list to crackdown on perceived threats to their power.” You can read all the details elsewhere, because this piece has nothing to do with the encyclopedia’s politics—however full of secrecy and intrigue—and everything to do with its usefulness.
People have denigrated Wikipedia from the beginning. First, they couldn’t believe anyone but well-groomed academicians could write about anything. Then they were sure that it was too easy to deface it with baldfaced lies. Now—though those earlier critiques are still regularly heard—people say that teachers—and especially the infallable “college professors&rdquo
Read more: Defense
Review: Downfall
2007-12-03 12:23:47
There has always been a great deal of idle speculation about what it is that people find so fascinating about Hitler’s Germany. My favorite theory—which hardly makes it correct—is that people want to understand what allows people to do such depraved things to each other. That people probe the Holocaust looking for ways that we can assure that such a thing never happens again.
For those seeking to viscerally understand the nuances of Nazi ideology and the causes of mass adherence to the doctrine of National Socialism, Downfall
isn’t really for you. Downfall, an immaculate recreation of the tense final days inside Hitler’s Berlin bunker, is much more about the paternal role an ailing and potentially insane Fuhrer played in the lives of those who knew him most intimately. How these people reacted as the Reich crumbled, how they reacted to his suicide, how they surrendered to the Soviet forces.
Downfall made me feel more sympathetically toward Hitler than I ev
The Joys of Life, the Moon, and Reading
2007-12-18 12:09:44
Source: eye of einstein
Last Wednesday evening, as I got up from the computer, I looked out the window. There in the sky, fragile and held aloft by what seemed to be nothing was a sliver of the moon. The horizon I could see over the nearby houses was an enchanting shade of mild orange, which melted into a thin rainbow of yellow and green under a sky of beautifully darkening blue.
To improve the image, the trees, long since little more than needle-like lines in the sky, pointed up everywhere. And below, a thick layer of recently fallen snow made the evergreens look like the quintessence of winter.
Were I feeling vulnerable, I though, I might just have to shed a tear or two at this sight. A sight made all the more valuable because of all the times I know I’ve forgotten to look out the window and say “My God, it’s grand to be alive.”
It’s exceptionally easy to forget what a wonder life is, as we bustle from meetings to errands to television and
Read more: Reading
Review: Love Actually
2007-12-17 10:58:40
Love Actually
is the kind of movie I tend to avoid. You know the kind: sweet “romantic comedies” that only the lobotomized can’t figure out the outcome of within 15 minutes of their beginning. Where you know that these people are going to get together after you sit though the long list of false obstacles constructed by a screenwriter in need of more pages.
These movies always feel something like pouring lemonade into a papercut — a little painful and a little sweet. But it being Christmas time, I decided to give a Christmas-set member of the genre a minor reprieve.
As anyone who has seen Love Actually, now four years old, can tell you, it doesn’t deviate much from that formula. Set in the weeks before Christmas the inevitable goal is, of course, to have a happy Christmas with the woman or man you love. But Love Actually multiplies that standard formula by what seems like 12.
Somewhat mercifully, this multiplicity means that obs
OPW: Hemingway on Parental Infallibility
2007-12-14 11:25:15
I briefly mentioned parental infallibility recently, and that lead me to seek out a story related to the topic from Hemingway
, called “Indian Camp.” If you’re interested, you can read the whole thing (it’s pretty short) on the grand old internet. I should warn you, though, that if the story were a movie it would probably need a solid “R” rating for language and violence.
But today’s “Other People’s Words,” are the last few lines of the story, which are neither profane nor violent. They’re about the complicated issues of parenting, place, and dying.
“Is dying hard, Daddy?”
“No, I think it’s pretty easy, Nick. It all depends.”
They were seated in the boat, Nick in the stern, his father rowing. The sun was coming over the hills. A bass jumped, making a circle in the water. Nick trailed his hand in the water. It felt warm in the sharp chill of the morning.
In the early m
Read more: Parental
State of the Blog, December 2007
2007-12-13 08:35:40
If you’ve ever come to the site before, you’ll probably notice that it looks different. To lessen the shock, here’s an introduction to what’s changed and is new. (Actually, those two sentences are no more than a thin facade to excuse me from feeling bad that this is an otherwise meaningless and self-indulgent post.)
In any case, some things have changed. You’ve probably noticed that font is both bigger and serifed (those little curvy bits). I think both changes make make the text easier and more pleasant to read. The other immediately-noticeable change is the absence of a sidebar. This was done because, perhaps selfishly, I wanted people to read what I’m writing and not be distracted by all the pretty links in the sidebar. Lest you fear that those links are gone for good, the important ones are still available at the bottom of every page.
The more substantial changes are actually the “Archives” and “About” pages. The
Read more: State
, December
The Nuclear Dilemma
2007-12-12 11:08:26
I’m rather certain that my favorite Republican presidential candidate during the 2000 election cycle was John McCain. I’m also rather certain that he’s my favorite this time too. It’s not that he’s perfect. Far from it. I’m well aware that he’s got flaws, and I’ve certainly taken issue with some of the things he’s said.
Lest we go too far into America’s political realities, let’s get back to nukes. But this is not about Iran, North Korea, or the kind of nuclear technologies that go boom. We’re talking about the significantly less frightening kind that just boil water.
Nuclear
technology and environmentalists have never been friends. And so the idea that they’ll suddenly become so is unlikely. But John McCain is right about one thing: environmentalists need nuclear power.
To their credit some have come to this realization. Stewart Brand, who created The Whole Earth Catalogue, which The Economist
"Bloggers,' "Writers,' and Media
2007-12-11 12:13:21
Spend much time online, and you’re sure to find at least a few people telling you that reading and writing on the internet is like nothing you’ve ever done. They’ll tell you that readers don’t, well, read on the internet. Instead they skim and look for lists with bullet points. Oh, and pictures. They love pictures. And they like to click links and hate to sit down and really think about something. Further your “copy” — they rarely call it content, and seem afraid of the word writing — should respond to this reality.
I find this notion both disappointing and, well, wrong. I read many long things on the internet. I usually read The Economist online — where it’s free — and the online-only magazines of Salon and Slate. Since they’ve taken down their “paywall” I regularly read articles — even really long ones —&thin
Read more: Writers
Review: A Week of Colorado Weather
2007-12-10 11:44:43
Outside my window, the rarely-trafficked street is still white, only the manhole cover that managed to melt through gives a hint that there’s anything not white under there. The gray sidewalks — which must be shoveled both as a courtesy to fellow pedestrians and out of fear for the law — form a coherent border between the white over grass and the white over blacktop.
It snowed, off and on, for three consecutive days. The total accumulation on grass is almost certainly less than six inches — a somewhat high but not unexpected total for the areas of Colorado
where people live. Many non-locals mistake Colorado’s ski areas for the “front range” where the vast majority of it’s people live. They’re surprised by the news that this snow will likely have vanished without a trace by next Monday.
But if Colorado’s weather is nothing else, it’s variable. There’s a running jok
OPW: Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata"
2007-12-21 11:38:36
There’s a large soft spot in my heart for broad and sweeping pieces of advice about how to live you life. Even if I don’t agree with everything such poems, columns, commencement speeches, or songs say, I still like them. And even if they seem to be off on a few points, they say things that are probably worth listening to. Such is the case with today’s “Other People’s Words,” Max Ehrmann’s poem “Desiderata.”
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your&nb
But What Is a Blog? & My Answer
2007-12-20 14:12:06
Source: topgold
Aside from having been described by Jerry Seinfeld as a terribly ugly word (which it is), “blog” is a hard concept to pin down. Of course the word’s evolution from the original meaning of “web log” would suggest that they’re necessarily linear expressions of a set of idea, thoughts, and goals. A diary almost. But I’d hope that this “blog” doesn’t feel like a diary, or have substance very similar a teenager’s secret journal.
I wrote a few weeks ago about the difference between a “writer” and a “blogger” but came to little more than my frustration with, and inability to parse, the distinction. I wrote a few months ago about the different types of blogs I see on the internet. But neither of those seemed to answer the question of “what is a blog?” and more specifically “what is a blog to me?”
I think the easiest analogy — and it&rsq
"There is almost no problem we can solve all by ourselves"
2007-12-19 12:22:13
Source: cursedthing
Former President Bill Clinton was on Charlie Rose last Friday. He said a lot of interesting things, and though they also did a fair bit of rehashing tired arguments about the presidential campaign, it is a pretty good interview to watch.
Without question, the line that most caught my attention was this one: Mr. Clinton said, making what felt like a rather precarious jump, that the American people now know as they never have before that “there is almost no problem we can solve all by ourselves
.” That America’s citizenry recognizes that the problems we face as a country: terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, health, and immigration, are all outside of the control of any single government, even the most powerful.
Though Clinton wouldn’t have been a good politician if he regularly denigrated the intelligence of the American people — as I sometimes think is appropriate — I do think he&
Review: Gone Baby Gone
2008-03-10 12:08:13
Though I’m not in the habit of review relatively recent and well-known movies (that reason is articulated here), Ben Affleck’s directorial debut in Gone Baby Gone was so unexpected that I couldn’t ignore it. I, like the vast majority of people following along, have at times dismissed Mr. Affleck as a talentless hack who got [...]
OPW: THEBLOG WEEMADE
2008-03-07 12:19:05
This is an odd installment of “Other People’s Words,” because even though the words are good, they’re not the primary thing I want to draw your attention to. What I want to have a look at this charming site, called “THEBLOG WEEMADE.” As the name suggests, it features drawings by young children. And the reason, [...]
Dispatches: Free and Fair Elections
2008-03-06 11:20:10
Back sooner than expected, our roving reporter, Steve Finch, has another story to be filed under “that’s something that would really benefit humanity.”
openDemocracy (ASA)
SANTA MONICA, CA — The YZ Prize Foundation has announced a second interesting initiative to help the world to move toward stability. Unlike the YZ Prize for Peace, this one strikes straight at their vision [...]
Read more: Dispatches
, Elections
By the People, For the People
2008-03-05 12:08:01
No Known Restrictions
Recently, I noticed — during a television commercial in which an S. C. Johnson representative was telling us that their products are both environmentally friendly and effective — that by consumer demand “green” in becoming essential for business. Not because laws were passed that mandated that S. C. Johnson make less harmful cleaning products, but because the [...]
Foolishness
2008-03-04 12:11:50
DWQ
“What a fool?!” thought the old man, seeing a young man coming up the path. He wasn’t looking out at the pond. He seemed to see little more than his feet and the dog that would sometimes wander away from him.
“What a fool?!” thought the young man. This grandpa had stopped on the path, put down [...]
Read more: Foolishness
Retroview: In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
2008-03-03 12:13:00
A few years ago, a friend let me borrow a CD. It’s cover was odd (below right), the band name — Neutral Milk Hotel — and title — In The Aeroplane
Over the Sea — obscure. “But it’s really good,” I was assured.
And indeed, as I found after finally listening to it, it was. Surely the instrumentals were unconventional — bagpipes appear, as do many other [...]
OPW: “Riveted”
2008-02-29 12:31:36
Today’s Other People Words, like much this week, reminded me of “Be Your Own Protagonist.” The poem’s “Riveted” by Robyn Sarah.
It is possible that things will not get better
than they are now, or have been known to be.
It is possible that we are past the middle now.
It is possible that we have crossed the great water
without [...]
What is Dispatches?
2008-02-28 12:05:16
This is one of those things I’ve thought I probably should write for a long time but never got to actually doing. Until now.
Dispatches
, for those who don’t know, is a semi-regular feature on this site. It consists, essentially, of a few sentences that laments that our (fictional) reporter hasn’t been in touch in a while [...]
Kosovo and Separatism
2008-02-27 11:53:49
Last week, I counted Kosovo’s declaration of independence as a good thing. I still think that, on balance, it was. But I’m increasingly interested and perhaps troubled by how much I didn’t and don’t know about the whole thing.
And sadly, what commentary I’ve seen about it hasn’t really clarified the issue for me. Most visible opponents [...]
The Coming Spring
2008-02-26 12:36:38
Powi
It happened yesterday for the first time. For the first time in months I recognized that winter was fading and spring was coming. It’s not coming quick or earlier than usual, but it’s coming and the first signs were there.
The mid-morning walk offered some clues. It’s been getting warmer out. Recently, a hat and gloves have [...]
Read more: Spring
The First Draft
2008-03-13 12:52:41
Syma Sees (AND)
Finding Forrester was one of those movies. The kind that I enjoy, but can easily see why so many others don’t. It’s the kind of movie light on logic or reality, and heavy on the emotion. And Sean Connery’s character is, well, odd.
However you or I feel about it, there’s one thing I do [...]
Read more: First
, Draft
Globalization as Entanglement
2008-03-12 12:06:53
JohnLeGear (ASA)
Globalization has bad rap. Some of it is, no doubt, deserved. The practice is great at giving us (in the “rich world”) poorly made plastic doodads that we don’t need, but at prices we can’t resist. By doing so it’s probably increased the amount of raw materials needlessly wasted, and encouraged the desire for [...]
Thinking About Thinking
2008-03-11 12:39:05
CMP73
I noticed recently that I do this rather strange thing. I’ll think thoughts, and then I’ll restate them again as if I were speaking them. Even when I’m not speaking. Even when I’m the only one around.
It’s as if I have to “say” everything in order for me to have really thought it. That is, if [...]
OPW: What the Uneducated Woman Told Me
2008-03-14 11:19:14
Today’s Other People’s Words is a nice — if a little bleak — little poem by Christopher Reid.
That she was glad to sit down.
That her legs hurt in spite of the medicine.
That times were bad.
That her husband had died nearly thirty years before.
That the war had changed things.
That the new priest looked like a schoolboy and you could barely
hear [...]
Review: For the Bible Tells Me So
2008-03-17 12:17:49
For the Bible Tells Me So, a recent documentary by Daniel Karslake is an interesting beast. Through at least the last twenty minutes, my eyes were wet and my nose was running. And though that’s surely a sign of something that’s emotionally resonant, I’m not without reservation in recommending it.
After the obligatory footage of traditional views [...]
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