SHANKFEST 2002: It is so gorgeous out that I am absolutely refusing to blog about the Horror Children of the Enlightenment. Manana, manana. So I’m going to sit in the sunshine and pretend to read Deconstruction in a Nutshell (the Oligarch lent me this book; I am intimidated but will soldier on). Meanwhile, here is a link to this week’s Bleats. Thanks, Josh! Meanwhile, why not check out this excellent, quick post on Fides et Ratio–kind of a shorter Catholic... Read more

“THE WOUND HAS A TENDENCY TO GO SEPTIC”: Last night I re-read an incredible essay by George Orwell. Not one of his better-known ones. It’s “Notes on the Way,” in My Country Right or Left, the second volume of the indispensable “Essays, Journalism and Letters” compilations. I’m going to mostly just quote at you, with minimal commentary at the end. Orwell in bold, me in plain text. Reading Mr Malcolm Muggeridge’s brilliant and depressing book, The Thirties, I thought of... Read more

MORE ON CHARITY-WATCHING: Brian of Kairos fame writes: “Send people here to do their own sleuthing. You can actually look up IRS 990 (nonprofit equivalent of a 1040) for organizations, and even see the top 5 salaries. It’s fascinating to learn how much your university president makes–or the dean of students for that matter. “It’s not very well known, but a 501(c)(3) is required by law to show you its 5 most recent documents filed with the IRS within 24... Read more

CHARITY RATING SITES: Just read an article about three sites that monitor charities’ financial practices. The sites–Give.org, CharityWatch, and Charity Navigator–use different criteria. This is an interesting idea, so I’ll quote the relevant bits of the article (Boston Globe, Tuesday, p. C1), but the main thing to keep in mind is that financial info doesn’t tell you the most important facts about an organization: What are its goals? How many lives has it changed? I know it isn’t always possible,... Read more

OH, AND THE VOLOKHS OWN the “Jews in Spaaaaaaaace!!!” sabbath story. Click here and scroll as desired. Read more

I’ve had enough of scheming and messing around with jerks My blog is watched outside, I’m afraid it doesn’t work I’m looking for a partner, someone who gets things fixed Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be rich?… John Derbyshire, in a deliberately bloglike column, says many interesting things but also falls prey to a false dichotomy. He basically says, Life in Victorian England was truly lousy, therefore the sexual revolution was good. Eh? Can’t we affirm the... Read more

MUSICAL FINGERPAINTING: Do other people do this? A very strange thing started after I first began listening to (slightly) more classical/orchestral/I don’t really know the right term but you probably know the kind of thing I mean, the line of musical tradition that goes through the baroques and the romantics and whatnot, then gets all weird with Stravinsky, Messaien, Mussorgsky and other non-rock-like music–ANYWAY, so I started listening to more of that. And then the strange thing started happening: Before... Read more

POETRY WEDNESDAY: It’s Wednesday if I say it is, folks. Here, have some Philip Larkin: Party Politics I never remember holding a full drink. My first look shows the level half-way down. [clipped] Read more

“In Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else. That’s the theory anyway. But what I know about is Texas and down here you’re on your own.” –M. Emmet Walsh, “Blood Simple” Read more

AXIS OF EXCESS: Totally random thought sparked by Wendell Berry’s essays (scroll down…)–excess is the mother of invention at least as often as necessity is. That is, inventors, scientists, and assorted pokers-at-things futz around, not really knowing where their futzing might lead them, and we end up with antibiotics, halogen lamps, and Cheetos. Obviously this isn’t the only way technology develops, but it is one way. And note that this kind of excess is productive–we’re not talking about covering your... Read more