A while back, I had the good luck to attend a recital by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and at the time I wrote: The world may not need another Traviata, or another Don Giovanni, it’s true. It will not stop spinning without another Schubert. For that matter, the world doesn’t need another MBA or another grad student, either. All have their place and their use, though, and it is not enough to feed the body and the retirement account. The... Read more
If you never saw it – a great hour of television: the second-to-last Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with Robin Williams and Bette Midler. Carson is classy, genial, quick-witted and always the gracious host so pleased to see his own guests shine. What made Carson great was that he had real conversations with his guests – it wasn’t just one “look-at-me” set-up after another as late-night talk shows have become. Carson was the best – he was courtly; it didn’t... Read more
Psalm 51 Psalm 51(50) Miserere mei, Deus Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offense. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. My offenses truly I know them; my sin is always before me Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done. That you may be justified when you give sentence and be without reproach when you... Read more
A forthright interview with a few well-spoken Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, postulant, novice, simply professed and fully professed. Read more
President Bush and Hillary Clinton are both shuffling their feet, but only one of them seems to be enjoying it. President Bush – a self-proclaimed “non-dancer” who has nevertheless been seen dancing at least one other time in his presidency, with free Georgians – got up and awkwardly rocked about in Liberia, where national pop stars have been serenading him with thank you’s rarely covered by the press. Her head tilted back, Juli Endee pulled the microphone close and belted... Read more
Be God’s own, and remember I pray for you. – Archangel Gabriel, in Jane Lebak’s Seven Archangels; Annihilation I have a lot of prayer requests – people writing and asking me to pray for them or for friends and family. I’m always happy to do it; prayer has power, and when you’re hearing about a hard story it is so much better to know you can pray than to simply feel bad and helpless. I’m sure others have said it,... Read more
Brian Eno – An Ending (Ascent) In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, Desire to have pleasure in nothing. In order to arrive at possessing everything, Desire to possess nothing. In order to arrive at being everything, Desire to be nothing. In order to arrive at knowing everything, Desire to know nothing. In order to arrive at that point where you take no pleasure, you must go by a way that gives no pleasure. In order to arrive... Read more
Had an interesting exchange with someone in the press today, who noted that the big kahuna of the big-time-journalism outfit which signs the paycheck is fervently pro-Hillary, and seeks “to use Michelle Obama’s first time I’ve been proud of my country’ gaffe as a stick to beat Obama with. Thus, you see, helping Hillary with her difficult February. The irony here, of course, is that Michelle Obama is the circa-’92-Hillary of this election; she is the smart, tough, ivy-league-educated, loose... Read more
President George W. Bush hugs a woman after a visit to Maasai Girls School in Arusha, Tanzania WH Photo by Eric Draper I didn’t know Bush was still there! There is so little press coverage of Bush’s very well received visit to Africa that we don’t even know he’s there. Contrast that to the day-to-day coverage (even his rest-stops were covered!) of President Clinton’s trip to Africa a decade ago – which was written about, analyzed, photographed and reported on... Read more
If you’re following the step-down of Fidel Castro, Fausta’s is the place to be – she’s got the best round-up. Some of the headlines, however, make Castro sound like he’s primed for Sainthood, and Newsbusters is keeping tabs on the glows and halos. Speaking of glows and halos, I think I linked to this piece a little bit ago, but it’s worth running again, as we anticipate the next groovy-sounding lunar eclipse. And speaking of saints, the Vatican is slowing... Read more
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