May 2004 Archives

Our family always takes a moment on Memorial Day to remember my cousin Kenneth MacLeish, a member of the pioneering First Yale Unit (p. 6) who perished in combat over the skies of France during World War I. MacLeish's letters have been collected in . After the War, the Navy named a destroyer after Lt. MacLeish.

Roger Straus Jr., 87; Founded Preeminent Publishing House (washingtonpost.com)

"Many people have accused me of being an elitist," Mr. Straus once said. "I'm guilty. I am an elitist. I like good books."

In a sense, it may be easy to become a book publisher when your mother is a Guggenheim. Still, based on the obituary in the Washington Post, it is apparent that Roger Straus stood for an older vision of publishing, in which profits were a way to publish great literature and not merely an end in themselves. His vision of publishing seems increasingly endangered as the world of publishing is absorbed into a handful of giant conglomerates, and almost Orwellian (vide 1984) universe where a few vast behemoths dominate the globe, each nominally at war with the other but all dedicated to the preservation of numbing control and uniformity. On a hopeful note, the Post points out that Farrar, Straus, and Giroux continues to publish books reputed to have literary merit despite having been acquired by large German publisher.

Tillman Killed by 'Friendly Fire' (washingtonpost.com)

Pat Tillman, the former pro football player, was killed by other American troops in a "friendly fire" episode in Afghanistan last month and not by enemy bullets, according to a U.S. investigation of the incident.

The revelation that that former football player Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire is a grotesque reminder of the of the ugliness and chaos of war. (I'm reminded of Hedda Gabler's reaction when she finds out that Eilert Lovborg has shot himself not in the heart but in the gut.) This news does not diminish the courage displayed by Tillman, but it should be an awakening to those who celebrated his death as affirmation of a romantic vision of war.

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > For Some, the Blogging Never Stops

The New York Times reviews reasons people blog — with conclusions that are not uniformly flattering. For many of us, it appears to be an escape, one that can become unhealthy if taken too far.

Yahoo! News - Dellinger, One of the Chicago Seven, Dies

A moving tribute to a man who stayed true to his principles.

The other night as I drove home past midnight, all I could smell on the silent night air (all the cicadas had gone to rest) was the sweet smell of honeysuckle in bloom.

Retired General Assails Planning for Iraq War (washingtonpost.com)

Retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, former U.S. commander in the Middle East, charges in a book to be published today that "everybody in the military knew" that the Bush administration's plan for Iraq consisted of only half the troops that were needed, and says that country is now "a powder keg" that could break apart into warring regions.

Yahoo! News - Tolkien House to Go on Sale in Britain

Tolkien is one of Oxford's best known 20th-century literary figures and was, along with "Narnia" creator C.S. Lewis, a member of the Inklings group, which met in the local Eagle and Child pub.

Bad Timing Creates a 'Doonesbury' Dilemma (washingtonpost.com)

While I understand people's sensibilities are raw over the brutal execution of Nick Berg, I do not see how a fair reading of this strip could discern an allusion to Berg's murder. It's very obviously a literal illustration of the phrase "handing him his head on a platter."

(It's nice to see Garry Trudeau making a pitch for justice in the workplace.)

The New York Times > Arts > Television > How 'American Idol' Got Hijacked by Its Viewers

"It's fixable. But whatever structural changes are made for the fourth season, the idea that the best singer wins will never again be a matter of faith. "American Idol" used to exude a sense of pop-cultural justice — that regardless of appearance or race, all that matters is the voice. The show has lost its innocence."

The baby managed to kick my coffee onto my keyboard today. The baby, thank heavens, was unscathed, but the keyboard perished. I bought a new Memorex USB keyboard, model MX2710, and was somewhat surprised to find that the cord to the keyboard had a warning stating that the cord contained lead: "Handling the cord on this product will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause [cancer, and] birth defects or other reprodctive harm. Wash hands after handling."

A quick investigation on Google suggests that this is a California legal excess, and that Memorex cords are no more lethal than anyone else's. However, the warning is disconcerting to say the least, particularly to those of us with small children. (And no, I do not intend to let the baby get that close to the coffee again.)

Yahoo! News - Gay Marriage Foes Work to Reverse Ruling

Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, said the amendment is the only sure defense against the expected wave of lawsuits by same-sex couples who marry in Massachusetts, then return home to other states and seek recognition of their unions there.

"This issue is boiling," Perkins said. "It's gone from an academic debate to a real public policy crisis."

The description of gay marriage as a "public policy crisis" at a time when we are engaged in two increasingly difficult wars abroad, confronting a wobbly economy, and submerged in spiraling deficits shows a severe lack of a sense of proportion. If there were any doubt, it is evident in the fact that these people propose to amend the Constitution to codify their narrow bigotry.

unbillable hours: On Woody Guthrie

Gene Santoro's is on my short list of books to read. The book chronicles the history of modern music, with Louis Armstrong and Woody Guthrie as central figures. TPB, Esq. at Unbillable Hours notes that another book on Woody Guthrie by Ed Cray is out.

Yahoo! News - Moore's 9/11 Movie Riles Cannes Audiences

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 seems to be shaping up to be the summer movie to see. It looks as though even Disney will not be able to keep it off the silver screen.

Despite the recent brouhaha over Movable Type's licensing terms, and the terms' subsequent revision, I think I will stick with Movable Type, at least for the moment. Since I run a one-author, two weblog site, I am not really going to get bitten by the new licensing terms. I have too much invested, and Movable Type meets too many of my needs, for me to really want to move.

eGullet.com -> Cast iron pan problem

Cooking tomatoes or tomato sauce in a cast iron pan tends to strip the seasoning. It's better to use a non-reactive pot.

Yahoo! News - New Study Shows Big Drop in Book Sales

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Weinsteins and Disney Reach Deal on 'Fahrenheit 911'

Disney will allow the distribution of Michael Moore's controversial new film documenting ties between the Bushes and the Saudi regime.

Washington Post coverage of LaToya London's ejection from American Idol.

I am almost unable to express how shocked I am to find my worst suspicions about America confirmed over a music competition. The show may be trivial, but it is outrageous that, for a second time, the two most talented musicians — who are also the African American musicians — should be consigned to the bottom ranking, and that the person who obviously has the most talent — LaToya London — should be booted off the show. I cannot condone the poor manners of the crowd that booed when Ryan Seacrest announced that LaToya was leaving the show, but I certainly understand how they felt. Randy Jackson did not quite come out and say that the choice was racially biased, but we all felt it.

Everybody is talking about the incipient emergence of the cicadas, but my more immediate concern is that the plants have unleashed a massive cloud of pollen that has reduced us to sniveling sufferers in allergy hell.

I am trying to figure out which print magazines I actually want to read: Poetry, The New Republic, Chess Life, Washington Lawyer, Smithsonian, WorldView. I subscribe to other good magazines that I just do not have time for, such as National Geographic and various alumni magazines. And there are some open questions, such as the Middle East Journal and Better Investing. Part of the dilemma is that every minute devoted to magazines is a minute less that I can devote to books.

How Do You Pronounce "Abu Ghraib"?

Slate explains that apparently even non-Iraqi Arabs are unlikely to get this one right, since the Baghdad suburb has a local pronunciation.

The New York Times > Week in Review > Word for Word: The Supreme Court Asks: Who Will Guard the Guardians?

In the argument in Rumsfeld v. Padilla, Justice Kennedy anticipated some of the problems that have come to light since the news broke of torture of Iraqi P.O.W.'s at the Abu Ghraib prison.

My wife has turned me on to BookCloseouts.com, a great site for cheap remaindered books. I bought my first book there tonight, a copy of Flavors of Olive Oil — a connoisseur's guide to olive oils, and saved 77 percent off the cover price.

Rush Limbaugh doesn't get it; he thinks the abuse of Iraqi prisoners has simplybeen overblown in order to embarrass George Bush. Reporting on Rush's reaction, Dick Myer of CBS is right that worse things have been inflicted on some of our troops. He is also right that we have set a higher standard for ourselves, in the hopes that our example could make life better for other people. Now that American soldiers have betrayed our ideals in a systematic, degrading manner, we have lost much of our moral standing to lead reform in Iraq.

Andrew Sullivan does not like this cartoon.

The New York Times > International > Europe > Massarosa Journal: The Olive Oil Seems Fine. Whether It's Italian Is the Issue.

I am reading Mort Rosenblum's charming book , which cannot quite decide whether it is a travel book about food, or a food book about travel, or a sociological review of a a major agricultural business. Rosenblum reveals in the book that the much vaunted Italian olive industry does not produce enough oil even for domestic Italian consumption. As a result, most of what Italy exports is not Italian oil at all — Spain is by far the biggest producer, but is largely able to export only through established Italian markets. So it was with some surprise that I noticed an article in today's New York Times describing the Italian oil industry, which mostly trades in other countries' oil. Either this is an interesting coincidence, or I just happened to notice what I was interested in at the moment.

I attended a Continuing Legal Education session on mediation tonight. The evening started with a discussion of the goals of mediation, and then proceeded to a role playing exercise designed to demontrate the techniques described earlier. One of the most important first principles is try to choose your mediator, so that you get a mediator whose style suits your case. Prepare your client for the need to compromise. As a mediator, keep your voice low and put plenty of options on the table. Be prepared for mediation to be an emotional experience. As a mediator, remember that the most valuable thing a mediator can offer is himself, and that a mediator's continued involvement can be necessary to bring about a long term resolution.

The New York Times > New York Region > No Plan to Hurt 9/11 Detainees, Ex-Jailer Says

Some of those videotapes are now being used by the inspector general of the Justice Department as prime evidence of the abuse that took place there. Only a handful of frames from hundreds of tapes have been made public, and none comes close to the shocking images of Iraqi prisoners abused at the hands of American soldiers. But the videotapes captured numerous examples of excessive force being used in Brooklyn, including ramming unresisting detainees into walls, twisting their manacled arms and hands, and mocking them during unnecessary strip searches, the Justice Department said in a report issued in December.

It is outrageous that the same government responsible for the abuse of prisoners is arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that "enemy combatants" have no right to any judicial review of the conditions or justice of their confinement.

I actually find myself agreeing with Simon Cowell about something: Fantasia and LaToya are in a class by themselves.

With some trepidation, I have downloaded and installed GNU Emacs for Windows. I have started working my way through Learning Perl by Tom Christiansen, and I want and editor in which to write perl scripts. Emacs is my editor of choice (at the moment) on Linux, and while it may not be the perfect choice for Windows, I think there is something to be gained by using a consistent cross-platform tool.

I visited a high school class in the District of Columbia this morning to speak with students about employment law as part of Georgetown University's Street Law program. We talked about illegal (discriminatory) questions on job applications and about basic wage and hour law (such as time and a half for overtime). The topic most hotly debated by the students was whether an employer could require them to pay for their own uniforms. (Answer: not in the District of Columbia). I am very much looking forward to going back next week. The program is run with the assistance of the District of Columbia's Employment Justice Center.