Wednesday, October 07, 2009
by Xul Solar(via) (thanx to wood_s lot)
T is for Turd Burglar.
Vampire Population Dynamics. (via Poetry Hut)
The other planets of Gliese 581 are: b, 15 Jovian masses at 5.366 days, eccentricity near 0, and semimajor axis 0.040596754 Astronomical Units; and d, 7.7 Earth masses at 83.6 days, eccentricity 0.2, semimajor axis 0.253094533. (Planets b & c seem to be in an orbital resonance of 12:5. Planets c & d at 13:2 also.) I call these Avatar and Usk.
Usk has a blackbody temperature of 187.0063531 K average, 209.0793925 at periastron and 170.7126091 at apastron. The tidal effect of the primary on this planet is 4.839451763, which means its solar day should be on the order of 38 days.
Using an albedo of 0.5 and a greenhouse of 61, its greybody temperature works out to be -55 °C (-36 °C summer & -68 °C winter), with a daily variation of ±40 °C. Liquid anhydrous ammonia fits this temperature range well (though it freezes at -78 °C i.e. most nights). Its pressure would have to be at least 4.5 atmospheres to keep from boiling at summer periastron, which isn’t unlikely.
Usk has a blackbody temperature of 187.0063531 K average, 209.0793925 at periastron and 170.7126091 at apastron. The tidal effect of the primary on this planet is 4.839451763, which means its solar day should be on the order of 38 days.
Using an albedo of 0.5 and a greenhouse of 61, its greybody temperature works out to be -55 °C (-36 °C summer & -68 °C winter), with a daily variation of ±40 °C. Liquid anhydrous ammonia fits this temperature range well (though it freezes at -78 °C i.e. most nights). Its pressure would have to be at least 4.5 atmospheres to keep from boiling at summer periastron, which isn’t unlikely.
Using a mass of 5.03, the "dryworld" model is suggested to have a radius of 1.5 Earth’s, or 5938.5 miles. This works out to an average density of 1.49037037 and a gravity of 2.23555555 Earth. its escape velocity would be 1.831210892. (The corresponding numbers for the "waterworld" model (which i might as well call Perelandra) are 1.02381437, 1.740484429, and 1.720123115.)
Apparent size of the primary is 4.4 to 6.1 times the Sun as seen from Earth. (A hotter stellar temperature might reduce this somewhat.)
Blackbody at periastron is 380.3556349 & at apastron 323.6685502. Some estimates (based on an Earthlike atmosphere of mild greenhouse gases): [Dryworld model= "Metaluna"]
Albedo | Greenh. | Av °C | Peri | Apastr.
0.2-------21---------77 ----108----54
0.25------29---------80-----110----57
0.3-------38---------84-----113----61
0.35------47---------87-----115----65
0.4-------57---------91-----119----69
0.45------68---------95-----123----74
0.5-------79---------99-----126----78
0.55------90---------102----129----82
(The conditions around 0.35 & 47 seem more likely.)
With the antisolar point at √2 times the average, we get a temperature near 257 °C in all cases; in order for water to remain liquid, the atmospheric pressure would have to be at least 59 times Earth’s.
Apparent size of the primary is 4.4 to 6.1 times the Sun as seen from Earth. (A hotter stellar temperature might reduce this somewhat.)
Blackbody at periastron is 380.3556349 & at apastron 323.6685502. Some estimates (based on an Earthlike atmosphere of mild greenhouse gases): [Dryworld model= "Metaluna"]
Albedo | Greenh. | Av °C | Peri | Apastr.
0.2-------21---------77 ----108----54
0.25------29---------80-----110----57
0.3-------38---------84-----113----61
0.35------47---------87-----115----65
0.4-------57---------91-----119----69
0.45------68---------95-----123----74
0.5-------79---------99-----126----78
0.55------90---------102----129----82
(The conditions around 0.35 & 47 seem more likely.)
With the antisolar point at √2 times the average, we get a temperature near 257 °C in all cases; in order for water to remain liquid, the atmospheric pressure would have to be at least 59 times Earth’s.
"If the Holy Bible was printed as an Ace Double," an editor once remarked, “it would be cut down to two 20,000-word halves with the Old Testament retitled as 'Master of Chaos' and the New Testament as 'The Thing With Three Souls.' ."
"Gliese 581 (a.k.a. HO Librae, Wolf 562, BD -7° 4003, and several other monikers) is a BY Draconis variable; these are red dwarfs (mostly) that vary semi-regularly with a small amplitude and a time scale of hours to days. The variation is believed to be due to large starspots, with the period reflecting the star's rotation."
"Popular posters of the Kefahuchi Tract were taped up on every wall. The New Men had some kind of cult, centred round the idea that this was where they had originated. It was as sad as everything else about them. Every child knew where they came from and it
wasn't there." --M John Harrison, Light (2003)
" 'Rock" How hillbilly do you think I am? polka. Polka is so much now.'
'You play cello in a polka band?'
...'Icy, huh? It's a flash sound. You've really got to hear it to believe it...'"
---Lyda Morehouse, Fallen Host (2002)
"The Power of Early Speed"
The pale glaze an all-night drizzle
Has left upon the windows of my car
With a swipe is gone; a moment more, returns:
A wise insurgency, a tan mule dragging.
Glow in the dark of a brake pad;
Twilight seas of wind-torn Metaluna;
High-value detainee. A funnel cloud fords
The Arkikosa River, and moves on.
"Go hungry and cold like the wolf" --Hamlin Garland
"Of a Lingered Zoning"
My internet fetch walks
Among white dwarf constellations
Its signature
Is a funnel cloud
Of axioms
My phobon ray
Tracks you in traffic gridlock
Leaves
A pale glaze of drizzle to say
There is no going past this
"Oft at the blush of dawn
I trod your level lawn,
Oft woo'd the gleam of Cynthia silver-bright
In cloister dim, far from the haunts of folly,
With Freedom by my side, and soft-ey'd Melancholy."
--Gray
"Insomnia Means the Tail of the Dragon"
The cutout made from my shadow
Cinco de Mayo
And a luftmensch cedes
Poring over the ancient works of Gnosis
Not as if for words
But the vision behind the words
Where it corresponds
And songs of burnished falling leaves
It's the it bathed played
A bumper sticker I saw: BLIND FAITH / IN A BAD PRESIDENT / IS NOT PATRIOTISM.
Gliese 581 = Wolf 562 = CD-07°4003 = Vyssotsky 159 =
HIP 74995 = HO Librae
by Karen Wehrstein
Hipparchos parallax: 0”.15962 & apparent visual magnitude: 10.57
Derived luminosity: 0.002024742123
Using a bolometric correction of -2.0025 & stellar temperature of 3187.5 K gives the bolometric luminosity of 0.012804709 & a derived radius of 0.3746627. [M6.625]
For the period of planet C given as 12.895 days & a stellar mass of 0.31, the semimajor axis of C is 0.072834353 astronomical units.
Its blackbody average temperature equals 348.6016961 K, and for albedos of 0.64, 0.50, and 0.35 the ungreenhoused planetary temperature yields the given figures of -3.0, 20.1 and 40.0 Celsius.
The “waterworld” model (with a radius of 6730.3 miles or 1.7 Earth’s) has an albedo of 0.55 which yields the average temperature of 12.5 Celsius. Due to the orbital eccentricity of 0.16, this would vary from -7.9 to 38.5 Celsius. Its subsolar point is 57 Celsius & its antisolar -23 Celsius.
HIP 74995 = HO Librae
by Karen Wehrstein
Hipparchos parallax: 0”.15962 & apparent visual magnitude: 10.57
Derived luminosity: 0.002024742123
Using a bolometric correction of -2.0025 & stellar temperature of 3187.5 K gives the bolometric luminosity of 0.012804709 & a derived radius of 0.3746627. [M6.625]
For the period of planet C given as 12.895 days & a stellar mass of 0.31, the semimajor axis of C is 0.072834353 astronomical units.
Its blackbody average temperature equals 348.6016961 K, and for albedos of 0.64, 0.50, and 0.35 the ungreenhoused planetary temperature yields the given figures of -3.0, 20.1 and 40.0 Celsius.
The “waterworld” model (with a radius of 6730.3 miles or 1.7 Earth’s) has an albedo of 0.55 which yields the average temperature of 12.5 Celsius. Due to the orbital eccentricity of 0.16, this would vary from -7.9 to 38.5 Celsius. Its subsolar point is 57 Celsius & its antisolar -23 Celsius.
"White Dwarf Rhapsody"
Unsung feats of time management
As Mormons invade Cascadia
My caravan to the East Pole founders
In mortmain,
In measly flinders
All i have is the blind faith
Of a Cylindrist--
And a null trajectory
Wake the fuck up
Gabcast! etheric notes #4
(via artnet dot com) by Jason Duval
She stood by the door
of her Virginia farm
pulling a sweater on
the branches
of the dogwood
she had tended
were bowed
blossoms loosened
tossed in sudden snow
the deer stood
in mute wonder
by her garden’s edge
she slipped the phone
in her pocket
her daughter
unharmed
among
petals gone
she snapped
a branch
a tempest stalled
she felt the boy
she felt the dead
she felt the families
she felt the wind
the deer don’t do that
she said
the deer don’t do that
Patti Smith
Caracul stairs, the way we all mistook
A zeroing long fiend for Curufin, all other
Flerds being equal; war on a second look
Beyond us. Greasy sun iron star all smother
Carbonaceous sea; the chymic feast
Absconds. That pesky waiver is all heart.
And mild caracul stains attend the guest
Deejay of iced vinyl agonies, all part
Of Fimbul Meltdown now. Who would not love
Their moment in the headlights, grief all me?
Caracul bald is where the vultures move
To vulture jazz, checkerboards all unworthy. [thee]
I plant surprises in this midden site [sight]:
Halcyon turquoise death, and all delight.
Taqwacore. "Frustrated by the lack of punk music in Arabic..."
"Frozen Indigo Angel"
Scrunchy polymers wind, through
this neon midnight oasis,
Wolf Five-Sixty Two. Rusted
hulks now a park, manicured grass;
i write small poems atop a rock
as huge as a car.
Gabcast! etheric notes #2
"Hierarchy of Phalanxes"
pell-mell
penetrameter
angle of heavy glow
wherewith
four Tuesdays it rains
Gabcast! etheric notes #1
"It's a mixed-up place: its name [Nagorno Karabagh] uses the Russian nagorno for mountainous, the Turkish kara for black and the Persian word bagh, meaning orchard, garden or vineyard." --Hugh Pope, Sons of the Conquerors (2005)
"Fundamentalism is a kind of necrophilia, in love with the dead letter of a text." --Terry Eagleton, After Theory (2003)
11:11.
"Thoughts Occasioned By a Student's Paper I Was Correcting and the Chinese Translations of Rexroth"
1.
Egyptian Cinderella.
Not like the American
Cinderella. Hawks took her
Shoes as she was gathering
Reeds. And it was morning, not
Midnight. Which is it here? Reeds
I gathered, have disappeared;
What i wrote has disappeared,
And i never saw the hawks.
2.
Five hours' sleep. The purple
Speckled carpet holds its peace.
Out the window, it is still
As gray as when we drove off;
My tea cools in the old cup
I carry to work. I read
A little more in my book
Then lay it aside to dream
Among soft voices. Someone
Laughs. Dying happens elsewhere.
"Acorn-Snail"
cranching · arid maturity untoward
scurry · church
without instincts · slowly habitat
broadcast winks · forcing Amontillado
a still furnish · wry
child stay · mystical lunar
only · stark wordbound
Without Chains.
glassblower on the sub
way
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." --Kurt Vonnegut
Electric Velocipede.
Two blogs.
"It was one of the few times in my life when I wished for the convenience of a fone. Then I could simply, and instantly, warn him that Death was on his way. But, as the Timekeeper would say, if we permitted fones people would forever be foning each other with their most immediate and frivolous thoughts. They would make appointments to meet each other at a certain place and time, and they would demand the use of timepieces, and of private sleds to carry them at whim about the City. The streets would fill with exploisive, noisy machines, and other noisome things, because once the technology beast was uncaged, people would want squawking private radios and private sense boxes and a host of other things. When I was a novice, I had often sniggered at this domino theory of technology, but later, when I had seen Tria and Gehenna and other hellish planets which chose not to limit their technology, I decided that in this one matter the Timekeeper's edicts were justified." --Neverness
Endwords of Shakespeare iv.
"If there is a possibility for failure, then the ritual is meaningful." --Lyda Morehouse
"In the early days of the Texas Republic, an argument arose. Who was the first Texas poet? Mirabeau Lamar, who served as the second president of the Republic of Texas, always claimed that he was the first Texas poet. However, there was a newspaper man, Hugh Kerr, who also claimed to be the first person in Texas to write poetry." --Rose-Mary Rumbley, The Unauthorized History of Dallas Texas (1991)
"In the early days of the Texas Republic, an argument arose. Who was the first Texas poet? Mirabeau Lamar, who served as the second president of the Republic of Texas, always claimed that he was the first Texas poet. However, there was a newspaper man, Hugh Kerr, who also claimed to be the first person in Texas to write poetry." --Rose-Mary Rumbley, The Unauthorized History of Dallas Texas (1991)
Winddimming, a burn that never grows old,
song of appalling forms, the shade of date
fronds in ogham arbor blind eyes behold;
my Taliban luau welcomes you. Expiate
the years away. Noir Racter ragas thee
as well as turbofolk. Phurba this heart
whose ungirt fado's slide is lost to me
and not by mutinyritual, nor harsh art,
reclaimed. The scrollworkopal cassowary
castigates my kempt and martyr will,
a caravan of flarf descansos chary.
Say i am not completely thranite ill.
The flighttoad wings; domdaniel's scattered purslane [slain]
whispers aroha minstrelsy again.
"There are one hundred and eight [Devaki] verb inflections, each corresponding to a different state of mind." --David Zindell, Neverness (1988)
Sitarsploitation.
Texas vodka.
"Deep ecology begins in our aesthetic respones, and the citizen's reentry into political participation starts in his or her declarations of taste." --James Hillman, op cit
Jurgen Ziewe.
"I Stop for All" (Shaxp 63)
Simoom haiku are all he christens now:
their greeny armor spetch, the word choreworn [o'erworn]
into riverstone. Belabor unibrow
with tarantula brandy giving us to mourn [morn]
the fall of only another jocose knight,
the fruit of just this soggarth trafficking.
Fav'rited twenty times, his cobweb site [sight]
encourages quisling clinic, encounters the spring
of jaguar flicker as unthieves fortify.
Spam dero balefire with sacerdotal knife
commits simoom haiku to memory
this somber morning in battle rattle. Life
throbs inly, weak but there; a flerd obscene [scene]
to be cherished, wit's impocerous gangrene. [green]
"Rain"
a jazz rapidly tzulab
izzard crystal waltz
spools filth adumbrating blindfold cyst
story azury full click balk abchalazal
wisp azoth
growing barrow wrath
The Inferior 4. (via John Crowley)
a jazz rapidly tzulab
izzard crystal waltz
spools filth adumbrating blindfold cyst
story azury full click balk abchalazal
wisp azoth
growing barrow wrath
The Inferior 4. (via John Crowley)
"To be absolutely honest, I hate marching around in the street chanting the same slogans I’ve been chanting for forty years. I’m going, anyway."
"What a cruel and terrible thing escape would be if escape were possible." --Octavia Butler
"Today 56 lobbyists--doubling since Bush took office--walk the halls of Congress for every one person we've put there to represent us."
The Brick Testament.
"What a cruel and terrible thing escape would be if escape were possible." --Octavia Butler
"Today 56 lobbyists--doubling since Bush took office--walk the halls of Congress for every one person we've put there to represent us."
The Brick Testament.
Ferry of years, whose course swerves look at stars
uncomprehendingly, you may not boast
of many sure arrivals, sandy bars
aplenty; yet here i am and almost
free. This wild foray into darkness spread
around me, upon toxic waters, i [eye]
have learned to call home. Here a brave child is buried;
on such officious caravan i'll die.
Not as shark's teeth bear the only fight,
is a tart will welded to fate: small complots foiled
provide what squalls and tides cannot requite,
soft nor runic sheaves on which have toiled
sad eyes, spiralling scurry of dwarves belov'd
the more its young squawk-polyps are removed.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
(via http://www.theophys.kth.se/mathphys/SYM/tilings.html)
'The centipede is jealous of the snake.
The snake is jealous of the wind.
The wind is jealous of the eye.
The eye is jealous of the mind.'
The Way of Chuang Tzu
Scanned Codex Seraphinianus. (via Metafilter)
Zaglosses
Almucantar- a line of celestial latitude
thrang- filled
Barcelona- old apartments in Oak Cliff I lived in for five years
Amethyst = Jyestha
porismatic- pertaining to a proposition that affirms the possibility of finding conditions that will render a certain problem either indeterminate or capable of innumerable solutions
flerd- a trick or snare
Mira = the star Omicron Ceti
Liber Logaeth = Doctor Dee’s Enochian grimoire
Moorawathimeering- (Aboriginal word) the Land of the Lost, a sanctuary for outcasts
oolongphaeic- dusky as the taste of oolong tea
slub- thick mire
aidle- to earn one’s bread indifferently well
dernely = secretly
atninga- (Abo.) a vengeance party
dealth- a division; a share
wishness = silence
khamsin- a warm, dry wind from the Sahara
yowee- (Abo.) the spirit of death
tallabilla- (Abo.) outlaw
eulowirree- (Abo.) the rainbow
ilka = every
mellsylvester = honeysuckle
rightful mind- (Newspeak) patriotism
smoking mirror = Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec trickster god
Virginia Opossum- once sponsored by the store where I work
zarf- an ornamental coffeecup holder; a frame
clyte- to suddenly alight
vaib- (Glaugnea) the characteristic excellence of one’s psychological type
coolth = coolness
jairce- (Gl.) the smell of rain on the wind
karcist- a summoner of spirits
lurg- a marine worm
fulmar- a seabird that can spit oil
Curufin- father of Celebrimbor
ogmic- pertaining to ogham
sobornost- (Russian) feeling of fellowship
sharawadji- pertaining to an aesthetic of combining opposites
toom- having boiled over
zonda- a hot wind of the Argentine pampas
chull- Central Asian wasteland
walburn- (Spook word) cryptographic equipment
batiushka- (Rus.) "little father," a nickname for the Tsar
railgun = (an undefined Spook Word)
oiwi- (Hawaiian) native
waam-waam = the Pluriverse
Xanadu- a plateau on Titan
walg- (Abo.) homeland, patria
kalavinka- (Rus.) bird with human head
scroggy = stunted
Big Nightfall- when the oil runs out
thalassa- (Greek) the sea
ibrik- Turkish coffeemaker
giardino- (Italian) garden
ryotwar- a system of collecting land rent or taxes in which the government settlement is made directly with the peasants
chirg- (Pashto) sharp, clever, well-made
harfang- a large arctic owl
Zaqaziq- a place in Albania, useful in constructing English pangrams
ordalic- pertaining to ordeals
qucaq- (Azerbaijani) hug
yarons- years
Xibalba- the Maya underworld
lurry- tumult; jumble of sounds
padishah- emperor
frith- a safe place; in Watership Down, the God of the rabbits
rhyparographic- pertaining to the depiction of humble subjects
arrack = arak
Ogpu- forerunner of the KGB
mukataba- a contractual agreement in which a slave may eventually buy his freedom
shigol- (Korean) country
latifundia- landed properties
Al Azif- the sound of the wind; the proper name of the book known as the Necronomicon
Almucantar- a line of celestial latitude
thrang- filled
Barcelona- old apartments in Oak Cliff I lived in for five years
Amethyst = Jyestha
porismatic- pertaining to a proposition that affirms the possibility of finding conditions that will render a certain problem either indeterminate or capable of innumerable solutions
flerd- a trick or snare
Mira = the star Omicron Ceti
Liber Logaeth = Doctor Dee’s Enochian grimoire
Moorawathimeering- (Aboriginal word) the Land of the Lost, a sanctuary for outcasts
oolongphaeic- dusky as the taste of oolong tea
slub- thick mire
aidle- to earn one’s bread indifferently well
dernely = secretly
atninga- (Abo.) a vengeance party
dealth- a division; a share
wishness = silence
khamsin- a warm, dry wind from the Sahara
yowee- (Abo.) the spirit of death
tallabilla- (Abo.) outlaw
eulowirree- (Abo.) the rainbow
ilka = every
mellsylvester = honeysuckle
rightful mind- (Newspeak) patriotism
smoking mirror = Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec trickster god
Virginia Opossum- once sponsored by the store where I work
zarf- an ornamental coffeecup holder; a frame
clyte- to suddenly alight
vaib- (Glaugnea) the characteristic excellence of one’s psychological type
coolth = coolness
jairce- (Gl.) the smell of rain on the wind
karcist- a summoner of spirits
lurg- a marine worm
fulmar- a seabird that can spit oil
Curufin- father of Celebrimbor
ogmic- pertaining to ogham
sobornost- (Russian) feeling of fellowship
sharawadji- pertaining to an aesthetic of combining opposites
toom- having boiled over
zonda- a hot wind of the Argentine pampas
chull- Central Asian wasteland
walburn- (Spook word) cryptographic equipment
batiushka- (Rus.) "little father," a nickname for the Tsar
railgun = (an undefined Spook Word)
oiwi- (Hawaiian) native
waam-waam = the Pluriverse
Xanadu- a plateau on Titan
walg- (Abo.) homeland, patria
kalavinka- (Rus.) bird with human head
scroggy = stunted
Big Nightfall- when the oil runs out
thalassa- (Greek) the sea
ibrik- Turkish coffeemaker
giardino- (Italian) garden
ryotwar- a system of collecting land rent or taxes in which the government settlement is made directly with the peasants
chirg- (Pashto) sharp, clever, well-made
harfang- a large arctic owl
Zaqaziq- a place in Albania, useful in constructing English pangrams
ordalic- pertaining to ordeals
qucaq- (Azerbaijani) hug
yarons- years
Xibalba- the Maya underworld
lurry- tumult; jumble of sounds
padishah- emperor
frith- a safe place; in Watership Down, the God of the rabbits
rhyparographic- pertaining to the depiction of humble subjects
arrack = arak
Ogpu- forerunner of the KGB
mukataba- a contractual agreement in which a slave may eventually buy his freedom
shigol- (Korean) country
latifundia- landed properties
Al Azif- the sound of the wind; the proper name of the book known as the Necronomicon
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
"Talimol"
podcast bastion · aching hand
upgrading · find mandatory glitch
jumpsky sharksky · shroud
many of · us
crawl viridian · this young doom or dhimmi
Malapaz mjaft · immy sworl pang firn
who · by night
by indigo · who
"And I have a hunch that fifty years from now they'll be saying, 'Why can't we be happy like those lucky people in the good old 1980s?' " --Dr Burns' Prescription for Happiness
M*cca and Main Str**t.
podcast bastion · aching hand
upgrading · find mandatory glitch
jumpsky sharksky · shroud
many of · us
crawl viridian · this young doom or dhimmi
Malapaz mjaft · immy sworl pang firn
who · by night
by indigo · who
"And I have a hunch that fifty years from now they'll be saying, 'Why can't we be happy like those lucky people in the good old 1980s?' " --Dr Burns' Prescription for Happiness
M*cca and Main Str**t.
Monday, February 05, 2007
(via hom* dot onlin* dot no)
On my victrola- Blu* Ch**r: N*w! Improv*d!
"Hurandas"
onyx tiara and non sticking snowfall
your own myrrh
axis at will caracul crowbar
sandcoil mask into onyx
storm or random John
apsidal lock tobacco
Smith's cough drops
in Cyclops sight hidalgo solo lingo
draft of ogganition tamarind
black in mandolin gnomon
"War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace." --Thomas Mann
Th* Soddit.
Birth and fat* of hot-N*ptun* plan*ts.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
"Once we dreamed of streetcleaners
Once we asked the question:
When will the leaves become birds?
Once we held our dead closely
As if there might be some word.
But the blood no longer dreams of poppies.
The rain is full of holes.
We’re at one with the season
That will not come."
--Ray Sw*atman
Languag*hat on Th* Ori*ntalist.
"Ridas"
distant now from your fulgor
this blind community of golfing
tsantsa droids
viridian mollusks fling you in a gulf
find you in a void
what will Moloch say?
Th* Dark Sid* of Christian History.
"Indeed, Night of the Living Dead is the veritable Citizen Kane of cannibalistic zombie thrillers." --Smith & Kig*r, Poplorica (2004)
Scanning- Kockroach (thanx M*lani*!)
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Mjaft.
"I think at the end of the day, you know, he'd made like 500 bucks before she hung herself." (via M*tafilt*r)
Blogstipation.
"I think at the end of the day, you know, he'd made like 500 bucks before she hung herself." (via M*tafilt*r)
Blogstipation.
"A killing
at the heart of all their stories
and if we meet as lovers
cop and the chief suspect"
--R*gina Nig*r, Th* Cat Who Cough*d Up a Hairball (2007)
Friday, February 02, 2007
"...up to 2 million Iraqis have moved to neighboring countries, mainly Syria and Jordan, before and since the war, while 1.7 million are internally displaced."
"Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life." --G*org* Sand
"Wide are men's inquiries into uncertainties; wider still are their disputes about conjectures. However great the difficulty of adducing proofs, the labour of producing conviction is not one whit less; so that the gloomy Heraclitus was quite right, when, observing the thick darkness which obscured the researches of the inquirers about the soul, he declared that he had certainly not explored the limits of the soul, although he had traversed every road in her domains." --T*rtullian
"Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life." --G*org* Sand
"Wide are men's inquiries into uncertainties; wider still are their disputes about conjectures. However great the difficulty of adducing proofs, the labour of producing conviction is not one whit less; so that the gloomy Heraclitus was quite right, when, observing the thick darkness which obscured the researches of the inquirers about the soul, he declared that he had certainly not explored the limits of the soul, although he had traversed every road in her domains." --T*rtullian
Good-Latim*r Tunn*l adios.
WHPO*G*.
"Ditau"
pill crow mob owl light
or Nixonian mirror
foundations crack lan nackward walks pull Karnak
furry grout
your radint down black Ixion iron
pig mask irony
Loving Sør*n.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
"Stand Up Against the Surge
The purpose of this old-fashioned newspaper crusade to stop the war is not to make George W. Bush look like the dumbest president ever. People have done dumber things. What were they thinking when they bought into the Bay of Pigs fiasco? How dumb was the Egypt-Suez war? How massively stupid was the entire war in Vietnam? Even at that, the challenge with this misbegotten adventure is that WE simply cannot let it continue.
It is not a matter of whether we will lose or we are losing. We have lost. Gen. John P. Abizaid, until recently the senior commander in the Middle East, insists that the answer to our problems there is not military. "You have to internationalize the problem. You have to attack it diplomatically, geo-strategically," he said.
His assessment is supported by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who only recommend releasing forces with a clear definition of the goals for the additional troops.
Bush's call for a "surge" or "escalation" also goes against the Iraq Study Group. Talk is that the White House has planned to do anything but what the group suggested after months of investigation and proposals based on much broader strategic implications.
About the only politician out there besides Bush actively calling for a surge is Sen. John McCain. In a recent opinion piece, he wrote: "The presence of additional coalition forces would allow the Iraqi government to do what it cannot accomplish today on its own -- impose its rule throughout the country. ... By surging troops and bringing security to Baghdad and other areas, we will give the Iraqis the best possible chance to succeed." But with all due respect to the senator from Arizona, that ship has long since sailed.
A surge is not acceptable to the people in this country -- we have voted overwhelmingly against this war in polls (about 80 percent of the public is against escalation, and a recent Military Times poll shows only 38 percent of active military want more troops sent) and at the polls. We know this is wrong. The people understand, the people have the right to make this decision, and the people have the obligation to make sure our will is implemented.
Congress must work for the people in the resolution of this fiasco. Ted Kennedy's proposal to control the money and tighten oversight is a welcome first step. And if Republicans want to continue to rubber-stamp this administration's idiotic "plans" and go against the will of the people, they should be thrown out as soon as possible, to join their recent colleagues.
Anyone who wants to talk knowledgably about our Iraq misadventure should pick up Rajiv Chandrasekaran's "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone." It's like reading a horror novel. You just want to put your face down and moan: How could we have let this happen? How could we have been so stupid?
As The Washington Post's review notes, Chandrasekaran's book "methodically documents the baffling ineptitude that dominated U.S. attempts to influence Iraq's fiendish politics, rebuild the electrical grid, privatize the economy, run the oil industry, recruit expert staff or instill a modicum of normalcy to the lives of Iraqis."
We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on January 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!" "
--Molly Ivins
The purpose of this old-fashioned newspaper crusade to stop the war is not to make George W. Bush look like the dumbest president ever. People have done dumber things. What were they thinking when they bought into the Bay of Pigs fiasco? How dumb was the Egypt-Suez war? How massively stupid was the entire war in Vietnam? Even at that, the challenge with this misbegotten adventure is that WE simply cannot let it continue.
It is not a matter of whether we will lose or we are losing. We have lost. Gen. John P. Abizaid, until recently the senior commander in the Middle East, insists that the answer to our problems there is not military. "You have to internationalize the problem. You have to attack it diplomatically, geo-strategically," he said.
His assessment is supported by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who only recommend releasing forces with a clear definition of the goals for the additional troops.
Bush's call for a "surge" or "escalation" also goes against the Iraq Study Group. Talk is that the White House has planned to do anything but what the group suggested after months of investigation and proposals based on much broader strategic implications.
About the only politician out there besides Bush actively calling for a surge is Sen. John McCain. In a recent opinion piece, he wrote: "The presence of additional coalition forces would allow the Iraqi government to do what it cannot accomplish today on its own -- impose its rule throughout the country. ... By surging troops and bringing security to Baghdad and other areas, we will give the Iraqis the best possible chance to succeed." But with all due respect to the senator from Arizona, that ship has long since sailed.
A surge is not acceptable to the people in this country -- we have voted overwhelmingly against this war in polls (about 80 percent of the public is against escalation, and a recent Military Times poll shows only 38 percent of active military want more troops sent) and at the polls. We know this is wrong. The people understand, the people have the right to make this decision, and the people have the obligation to make sure our will is implemented.
Congress must work for the people in the resolution of this fiasco. Ted Kennedy's proposal to control the money and tighten oversight is a welcome first step. And if Republicans want to continue to rubber-stamp this administration's idiotic "plans" and go against the will of the people, they should be thrown out as soon as possible, to join their recent colleagues.
Anyone who wants to talk knowledgably about our Iraq misadventure should pick up Rajiv Chandrasekaran's "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone." It's like reading a horror novel. You just want to put your face down and moan: How could we have let this happen? How could we have been so stupid?
As The Washington Post's review notes, Chandrasekaran's book "methodically documents the baffling ineptitude that dominated U.S. attempts to influence Iraq's fiendish politics, rebuild the electrical grid, privatize the economy, run the oil industry, recruit expert staff or instill a modicum of normalcy to the lives of Iraqis."
We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on January 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!" "
--Molly Ivins
(via comput*rclubhous* dot org slash flagship)
"Zaitux"
hooks solid
pools skid ash ask rook
claypit night adorn child road
wobbly blindfold psalm is skim with odd taiga
ostrich thrifty walking as rich grout
solid pools skin sculpt or vacuum
typical spool poor
stir in again what storp forward addict hogans
Without as-if, language dances in leg irons.
"To Americans raised on the persistent myth of the trackless wilderness and the dusky savage, this idea that the first European [Ponce de León] to officially set foot in what became the continental United States was greeted by a Spanish-speaking Indian is astonishing. (It was bad enough that the first Indian met by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts a century later spoke English.)" --Schn*id*r
On my victrola- Th* V*ry B*st of P*ggy L** (thanx M*lani*!)
Strang* Pi*c* of Paradis*.
Adios Molly.
Russian birch bark books. (via dbqp)
"The writer is not totally untalented, but it looks as if he is putting on paper miserable adventure stories with a sneer." "Say the name "Fu Manchu" and most people immediately conjure up an image of the bewhiskered villain. The evil, drooping mustache served Joe Namath well, and it inspired names for everything from orchids to tropical fish to Tiki mugs. ...Unfortunately, Fu Manchu had no mustache. The mustache was added in the movies..."
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
"Wow, now that the annual Screen Actors Guild awards have been presented, we're one step to closer to Oscar. Last night's ceremony held no surprises, so this email will be brief. As expected, the awards for individual motion picture performances went to this season's usual suspects:
Best Actress - Helen Mirren ("The Queen")
Best Actor - Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland")
Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls")
Best Supporting Actor - Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls")
Of the four, Mirren is the only one I would have pegged as invulnerable to a last minute upset; however, now that all four have captured Golden Globes and SAG prizes, I can't see them stumbling at the finish line--and even if they'd lost at the SAGs, I don't think they'd be down from the count, far from it. Instead, their respective races might have seemed more like contests instead of walks through the park, thus bringing the excitement and competition to the Oscars.
The prize for Best Ensemble performance was awarded to "Little Miss Sunshine," which over the past week or so was also named the yer's best film by the Producers Guild of America. A lot of journalists who cover the SAG awards liken the Best Ensemble category to a Best Picture equivalent. The same journalists like to point out the top SAG prize often mirrors the Academy's choice for Best Picture. Sometimes, yes, but not always: "Apollo 13," "The Birdcage," "The Full Monty," "Traffic," "Gosford Park" and "Sideways" are movies that copped the SAG prize but failed to won the Best Picture Oscar. [And the SAG awards a we now know them only go back as far as 1995, so there's not a lot of history there.]
And why wouldn't "Little Miss Sunshine" be named the year's best ensemble? After all, as has been pointed out, the six principal characters share almost every scene, and a huge chunk of the movie takes place in a single--albeit mobile--setting, A VW mini-bus. This is a true ensemble effort unlike, say, "Babel," which features intersecting three stories, each with its own cast, spread out over four countries (Morocco, Mexico, Japan, and the United States). That's not a criticism, just an observation. My point is, Best Picture is still too early to call. From here, "Little Miss Sunshine" looks good, but historically its chances at the Best Picture Oscar are reduced because it lacks a nominated director (or, in this case, directors).
The tv winners included Hugh Laurie ("House"), America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), and Chandra Wilson ("Grey's Anatomy"). And, oh yeah, Helen Mirren for portraying Elizabeth I in a teleflick.
Other highlights: the Mary Tyler Moore Show cast reunion (with a smashing Valerie Harper), and Dick Van Dyke onstage to present Julie Andrews her Lifetime Achievement trophy. Also: wee Abigail Breslin being escorted onstage by co-stars Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, and Steve Carrell to accept the award for "Little Miss Sunshine." I liked America Ferrera's speech about her peers in the union knowing both sides of success--and why that made the award mean so much to her. That's the kind of speech that has resonance for audiences, as opposed to reading a list of names of agents, handlers, etc. FYI to Forest Whitaker: Sweetie, you're the frontrunner for the Oscar and since you've won practically every award of the season, you really should be prepared. Please work on that by next month.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are usually a lowkey fashion affair, so not a whole lot to ponder for Best Dressed honors. I loved Kyra Sedgwick's beaded strapless number, but find myself at a loss to accurately describe the color. Coco, maybe? And I loved her updo. The verdict? Much improved since the Golden Globes. I was also wowed by the gold toned gown worn by Cate Blanchett. What a knockout!
Okay, that's all for now....but stay tuned.
Mp"
Best Actress - Helen Mirren ("The Queen")
Best Actor - Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland")
Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls")
Best Supporting Actor - Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls")
Of the four, Mirren is the only one I would have pegged as invulnerable to a last minute upset; however, now that all four have captured Golden Globes and SAG prizes, I can't see them stumbling at the finish line--and even if they'd lost at the SAGs, I don't think they'd be down from the count, far from it. Instead, their respective races might have seemed more like contests instead of walks through the park, thus bringing the excitement and competition to the Oscars.
The prize for Best Ensemble performance was awarded to "Little Miss Sunshine," which over the past week or so was also named the yer's best film by the Producers Guild of America. A lot of journalists who cover the SAG awards liken the Best Ensemble category to a Best Picture equivalent. The same journalists like to point out the top SAG prize often mirrors the Academy's choice for Best Picture. Sometimes, yes, but not always: "Apollo 13," "The Birdcage," "The Full Monty," "Traffic," "Gosford Park" and "Sideways" are movies that copped the SAG prize but failed to won the Best Picture Oscar. [And the SAG awards a we now know them only go back as far as 1995, so there's not a lot of history there.]
And why wouldn't "Little Miss Sunshine" be named the year's best ensemble? After all, as has been pointed out, the six principal characters share almost every scene, and a huge chunk of the movie takes place in a single--albeit mobile--setting, A VW mini-bus. This is a true ensemble effort unlike, say, "Babel," which features intersecting three stories, each with its own cast, spread out over four countries (Morocco, Mexico, Japan, and the United States). That's not a criticism, just an observation. My point is, Best Picture is still too early to call. From here, "Little Miss Sunshine" looks good, but historically its chances at the Best Picture Oscar are reduced because it lacks a nominated director (or, in this case, directors).
The tv winners included Hugh Laurie ("House"), America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), and Chandra Wilson ("Grey's Anatomy"). And, oh yeah, Helen Mirren for portraying Elizabeth I in a teleflick.
Other highlights: the Mary Tyler Moore Show cast reunion (with a smashing Valerie Harper), and Dick Van Dyke onstage to present Julie Andrews her Lifetime Achievement trophy. Also: wee Abigail Breslin being escorted onstage by co-stars Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, and Steve Carrell to accept the award for "Little Miss Sunshine." I liked America Ferrera's speech about her peers in the union knowing both sides of success--and why that made the award mean so much to her. That's the kind of speech that has resonance for audiences, as opposed to reading a list of names of agents, handlers, etc. FYI to Forest Whitaker: Sweetie, you're the frontrunner for the Oscar and since you've won practically every award of the season, you really should be prepared. Please work on that by next month.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are usually a lowkey fashion affair, so not a whole lot to ponder for Best Dressed honors. I loved Kyra Sedgwick's beaded strapless number, but find myself at a loss to accurately describe the color. Coco, maybe? And I loved her updo. The verdict? Much improved since the Golden Globes. I was also wowed by the gold toned gown worn by Cate Blanchett. What a knockout!
Okay, that's all for now....but stay tuned.
Mp"
Brick toss*d by th* Pacific Oc*an.
"XXV.
CHESSBISHOPS SHY TO ADHERE
to the juncture, to the bottom, to the crown,
to the underside of the numerators on foot.
Chessbishops and hotbeds of tiny lupines.
When the lee of each caravel recoils,
unravelled without americanizing,
they yield the plough handles with spasms of misfortune,
with puny pulse ill-accustomed
to blowing their noses on the backs of their wrists.
And the most acute treblesonance
gets tonsured and down, and fully
innazalates toward the icicles
of infinite pity.
Splendid backs are snorting
while bearing, hanging from musty breast-straps,
the silken badges with their seven colors
under zero, going from the guano islands
to the guano islands.
So much for the sores on the foul weather of poor
faith.
So much for the time of the rounds. So much for the rodeo
for the future plans,
when innanimate italics relate solely
disappointed tiptoed crusades.
They come then chessbishops to adhere
even to the false doors and the scratchpads."
--Smith's Trilc*
And what is transcendence but "else also" embodied?
Qosqo.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
(via atmos dot washington dot *du slash gcg slash Atlas)
"Zorami"
cryptic dragoman · with you through spiralling shadows
group coffin tryst walk
gruffly colorful can truant look
old maroon tarbush grim wailing bismuth born
labyrinth burning · star shroud
knowingly
burning catwalk pumas · glass isthmus
Rosicrucian dark
archways ozonous upon jaguar any
Tig*r Forc*.
Ic* Ag* Columbus. (thanx K*n!)
With only exclusive-OR, the ego has to reject or identify with the unconscious--both pathological outcomes. On the one hand, denial and the persecution of "enemies"; on the other, a humorless antinomialism whose further limit is crime. But with nonexclusive-OR, the ego can acknowledge and accept the unconscious. --On my car radio just now, "Werewolves of London."
Monday, January 29, 2007
A string on Holosync.
Found on "Sloan* 313" hunt. And. Plus.
Lunar months.
Found on "Sloan* 313" hunt. And. Plus.
Lunar months.
Laino.
Command*r X.
"Don Tendai lit cap
millibar denim agog
retro Babel asks
atari Jehu hejira
task saleb abort
ergo gamine drab ill impact
Iliad net nod."
--Lamont Craisin
On my victrola- Subotnick- Th* Wild Bull
Compromise as the natural and desired outcome.
"In 1525 Esteban Gómez, a Portuguese pilot working for Spain, returned from a voyage along the coast from New England to Cape Breton and word got around that he had discovered cloves growing there. To some in Seville, cloves implied that a route to the spice-laden orient of Columbus's dreams was found at last. The only problem was that what Gómez really said he had found was not clavos but esclavos, not cloves but slaves. --Paul Schn*id*r, Brutal Journ*y (2006)
Sunday, January 28, 2007
(via distill*d*y* dot com)
"There is something in Latin America which can be explained only by the inexplicable." --G*rmán Arcini*gas, Latin Am*rica (1967)
Philosophically, if logical "true" is only not-as if (instead of fundamental), this accords well with the idea that while falsification of a theory is always possible, there is no final truth
star you call Sigma Draconis
atavist Zavijava
iron in pools such accrual
raucous flagrancy a ostrich
silk Ogpu ambush harsh way prog
that scuzzy Jodhpur
Kool.
"On Acoustica, Alarm Will Sound obviously tackles the work of...Aphex Twin on this release and amazingly play them all acoustically (with the only exception being electric bass). The songs themselves are turned into pieces that breath with strings, brass, woodwinds and live percussionists, along with some vocals."
"(For a minute I thought this might be some kind of hoax a la John Lurie’s latter day black-face Marvin Pontiac Zip Coon act...)" (via M*tafilt*r)
Saturday, January 27, 2007
"I've sat with others and watched while a speaker or an average Jamal, with awe in their voices has said, "just as a diamond is wrapped in a protective cloth, women are precious enough that they too must be thus wrapped. Not everyone can see this diamond." Sometimes some of the women watching with me raise their eyebrows with pride and high-five glances at each other. But trust me when I say that there are a lot of us watching and listening who don't feel like we've been mined from Africa illegally." (via *t*raz)
"Of course, Planet Earth would have exploded if a U.S president had said that on live national television."
"Of course, Planet Earth would have exploded if a U.S president had said that on live national television."
"I have also done research in braid theory and knot theory and strongly believe that the corn rowing technique is a way of encoding information and indeed braiding is a way of encoding information."
Another way to make polyvalent logic part ofyour life is to practice finding the "tertium quid" or third alternative, for those reflexive pairs which so bedevil our discourse. There is always one to be found.
"Forn Siðr has been since the 6th November 2003 officially approved as a religious community in Denmark, by the Danish minister of religious affairs."
"Cold wind of misfortune, blowing away a civilization. Blowing away the principalities and the powers, the unkept promises, blowing away the riches and the lies. In times like these you do what you can to save what you can,make what new beginnings you can, for a recovery you'll never see." --North Wind
"Osiris"
pallid dust
cold irks with orb vorago blinking
tumultuously
font thick butoh matutinal chicory
turn back its hand Osiris
craisin out of youth's shadows
Friday, January 26, 2007
" "They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past," said Father Efstathios Kollas, the President of Greek Clergymen." :-)
"If you never come again, never blow through these steaming regions
like cooling drifts of the upper air, even that absence is an encounter."
--Binoy Majumdar
Drinking: Jasmin*-Lav*nd*r T*a.
"If you never come again, never blow through these steaming regions
like cooling drifts of the upper air, even that absence is an encounter."
--Binoy Majumdar
Drinking: Jasmin*-Lav*nd*r T*a.
Though logic per se seldom appears in our regular considerations, there is an implicit logical element in our choosing and in our experiencing new things (perhaps in others as well?). To act as if only two alternatives are possible; to be compelled by imperative feeling to make a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down judgment at every novel stimulus--these are dualistic sorts of blunder. And it would be a not negligible improvement simply to insert a conscious else also (Lojban: ji'a drata) into these automatic processes. --Thus does cthia start to reshape the world.
Tux*domoon.
Ryng's book from Lulu now. Plus. D*ath Songs of Carcosa.
"Tomahawk-11"
radint sarcophagi add tinkling
only ptarmigan
isthmus walking graybody act zodiac
aptly you watch ago night
New 7 Wond*rs.
"It was strange to think that this world, the day-to-day mess that Sid took for granted, was to Buonarotti a dreadful, unplumbed abyss." --Gwyn*th Jon*s, North Wind (1994)
Romani links.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
(via) (Plus)"Of course, it could be that this avoidance of homosocial bonding is itself an intense form of male-on-male passion. "You're a secret macho," Hisae told me when I explained the concept of the homosocial to her yesterday. "You can't deal with men because they bring out your aggressive, competitive side." "
"Is the meaning of a word like a ghost that walks beside? Is it coordinates on a map? Is it the rules for how a game-piece can move? Is it the amount of reality a word can be redeemed for? Is it a fantasy we share? Is it a trick, a snare, a fraud? Is it a postman for the secret-part of our being here? Or is it the person which that word is a name for?"
"Vitalic Functor"
injurious inch ajar
dust from nil inhabitants
dust asking winch and scaffold
striving sandstorm fjord habit
to irrational acquaint
idiot dust as stairway
officious gray Godzilla
Amontillado only
High Noon.
Quadrupolar logic: aliens of planet Ummo (Wolf 424).
Truth values: so, not-so, possibly-so. (Truthful, untruthful, chatoyant.)
In Aymara: jisa, jani, ina.
In Lojban: jetnu, jitfa, norje'u.
On my victrola: Gitan* D*mon*- Lov* for Sal*
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Markovp*dia.
Now this is art. (via B*st Links of 2006)
Stalin's Wif*. (By Slava Tsuk*rman, of Liquid Sky.)
Without sound, without pain, twisting my form. Gray days full of cars. Will it fall soon? Not now. Soon.
"Bad Dragoon"
abattoir abacus fast
stony storying logic
with gray caracul its pang
...3-logic is [topologically] equivalent to subtractive color theory, more than binary logic with a middle term added. A model: the "Scissors, Paper, Rock" game. Philosophically, 'true' can be considered {as-if (not (as-if))}; as-if is basic. But it is convenient to have a name for the world inferred by the realm of discourse: paratrue. ("False" can be made from T and T + F.) then, considering the two kinds of (Lojban) NOT: Polar opposite & Contrary (or: other than), we have a "scissors, paper, rock" circle: [a circle divided into thirds by the points A, B, C is pictured]. Let S = a proposition. Values: S, As-If S; other-than-S-that's-not As-If (call them A, B, C). A (Not As-if/ paratrue) is the contrary of C (Neither-True-Nor-False/ nonsense) and the polar opposite of B (As-If, or Both-True-and-False), which is the contrary of C.
A ∪ B → B A ∪ C → A B ∪ C → C
Contrariwise:
A ∩ B → A A ∩ C → C B ∩ C → B
Finally, if as-if = T ∪ F :
F = (T ∪ F) ∩ (~T)
A novel which purports to be an exchange of letters between Teddy Roosevelt & Sherlock Holmes. Suggests that any combination of fiction & nonfiction has the truth value of fiction.
On my victrola- Piaf at th* Olympia
Big Cotton.
Prior to its icing up, this was cold.
IBM and th* Holocaust.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
(via //hom* dot scarl*t dot b*)
Arrows flying, you rush up to put both hands across my sight.
Doublethink, rationalization, denial, NOT-AS-IF...
As-If & Not-As-If are contraries, not opposites. The latter is a restriction (sort of--) of the former... All language is first As-If. Nonsense might be construed as the part of As-If [~ As-If] that is not True. For, one arrives at this latter distinction only through empirical testing. Strictly speaking, False shades into Nonsense only by degree of unfamiliarity. "Pigs fly" is a conventional kind of paradox, not more so than "Colorless Green Ideas." But [computer-generated] "it's the it bathed played" contains within it a tug toward metaphor unlike the others.
Rationalism might be called the fallacy of believing language to be a category of description, rather than that description is a special use of language.
Description is As-If-(some) World, just as Ego is As-If-(some) Self.
"Formation"
rubrics furnish abattoir frogurt
with acts as if burn frost into vitriol
Usk shadow
half oblivious zarfs
strung with folio
birdtalk bringing uffish fragrant wood
"At the collapse of a great Pax, crisis and insecurity ensue, different civilizations clash, and slowly the image of a new man is outlined. --Umb*rto 3co
Brutal Journ*y.
Book 5.
"In 2000 I started experimenting with sewing human hair into paper by hand."
Top 10 Links of 2006. (via Tom Moody)
Monday, January 22, 2007
"Just as once upon a time there used to raids by bad poets on Sonnet form of poetry, today raids are conducted on haiku, geet and ghazal forms, and especially
more so on ghazal form. Those who do not understand the poetic element but read for entertainment, love-crazed idiots, fame-hungry rich men and immature adolescents as a weird group have gang-raped the lady, ghazal, and a true ghazal-poet faces the uphill task of returning her chastity to her. This duty of the poet is extremely difficult, and only a handful of ghazal-writers on a pan-Indian basis have done, amongst whom we see the name of Mareez."
Playing a Chenoboskian (look at third). Also (#232).
"TOP TEN Ways Deep Blue is Celebrating its Victory against Gary Kasparov
#10. Nailed R2-D2."
more so on ghazal form. Those who do not understand the poetic element but read for entertainment, love-crazed idiots, fame-hungry rich men and immature adolescents as a weird group have gang-raped the lady, ghazal, and a true ghazal-poet faces the uphill task of returning her chastity to her. This duty of the poet is extremely difficult, and only a handful of ghazal-writers on a pan-Indian basis have done, amongst whom we see the name of Mareez."
Playing a Chenoboskian (look at third). Also (#232).
"TOP TEN Ways Deep Blue is Celebrating its Victory against Gary Kasparov
#10. Nailed R2-D2."
Rock Swings.
"When they gave her no help, she went to the publishing house itself, but the editors could not fathom a poet who did not want her poems published."
Compassion: another person as-if myself.
To listen as-if the other person might be saying something true, that you need to know.
To act & judge as if you could be wrong.
rust furls as this uffish small
frost glows asking wasp ashtray at thwart pidgin
is rust of uffish
silk ash ghost
town impair cardboard glory slogging
uffish associating googols
"The intense purity with which geometry, mathematics, science and logistics fill the bone-marrow of his poetry, marks his rare genre. Despite being a fine and talented engineer, a brilliant, innovative mathematician and an even more brilliant poet, Binoy led a rather distraught and disoriented life of extreme poverty."
Sunday, January 21, 2007
(via Goblin M*rcantil* 3xchang*)M*tacritic. (via Ozarqu*'s Journal)
"...javanais is a form of French slang which sticks "av" between a word’s consonants and vowels."
Life on Bzoa...developed from primitive forms that had tri-lateral symmetry... There are 3 sexes, any two of which can mate... Associated with these genders (though not necessarily) are the qualities of Yang, Balance, & Yin. The Balance gender, or Harmonizers, correspond somewhat to artists. All the records of the Guelphs...: 'Description-Memory-Files,' 'Interpretation-Memory-Files,' & 'Expression-Memory-Files,' which correspond to History/Science, Philosophy/Religion, & Literature. Guelphs have 3 worldviews: Bolor, mystical Gnosticism, & Geometric Rationalism, whose attitudes are to accept, transcend, or alter the way things are. Guelphs name 3 colors: Scarlet (Yang)... Chartreuse (Balance)... & Amethyst (Yin)...(They try to structure their world into threes & nines whenever possible....) DORD: the null Third of a complete twosome of anything. ...Besides Harmony, one could consider Dissonance [as] divided into Humorous & Serious...
Putting any two [things] together would not cancel them out, but seem to automatically call for the missing third, either by creating it with the juxtaposition, or making the lack obvious, or when two are complete, the creation of a Dord.
Sulphur, salt, mercury. Tamas, rajas, sattva. Waste (Shiva) = loss of meaning; saving (Vishnu) = conservation of meaning; making (Brahma) = creation of meaning.
"Progress" vs "Ancestor Worship". The Third = selective eclecticism. Triadicities (F Peirce). The Picturesque: between the Sublime & the Beautiful. Needs: fellowship, solitude, intimacy.
"Gacela of Distracted Love
You put on a crown of verbena
solely to hear
the watch-bell.
Granada was a moon
drowned among the ivy.
You stole into my garden in Cartagena
solely to hear
the watch-bell.
Grenada was a rose
among the streamers and pennants.
You silenced me passionately
without knowing who I was
solely to hear
the watch-bell."
by F*d*rico Garcia Lorca
(translation by Gilb*rt W*sl*y Purdy)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
"Said Minou to His Holiness: "I have gone into many churches looking for God, but all I find are stained-glass windows and pillars." It is not recorded what the Pope replied to this, but later he asked the poet for a copy of her book." (via S*cr*t Mint)
Unfilmabl*s. (via Bookninja)
Unfilmabl*s. (via Bookninja)
(via //p.vtourust dot com)
"SECRET PLACES
I bite the screwtop top of a
bottle of naivete steady in my
teeth and slowly, by
rotating the bottle's body in
my hands, open it.
Christian crap, jewish junk,
moslem muck, buddhist bullshit,
the days all begin and end.
Pain is the absence of repetition.
Eventually the soles of the feet
will infect the palms of the hands
with their hiddenness.
Their remoteness.
Until then
I remain a door-deep animal,
embracing every room
shy of welcome."
--Bill Knott
It might be helpful to give a name to two aspects, two movements in the life of the Symbolic. One, for the moment when "play" becomes "real," as Vuelta. The other, for the pressure, under forced modernization, for the symbolic to be threatened with extinction: as Kenosis. Thus, what postmodern neobarbarian masses express, in their violent self-assertions, is not so much the desire to preserve their sense of "having a soul," and sacredness, as it is an exasperated expression of resistance to Kenosis. It is the flattened response of one who has been abjectly deprived of the symbolic realm.
(To call it, as in its twencen manifestations, "fascism," reduces it to mere political terms, as just another team. But what kind of team wants to clear the field of all its opponents? Fascism more closely resembles a disease of the imagination. When fascism triumphs, it's not a political debacle. It's a Zombie Apocalypse.)
"And I've been watching how they've been combating this, and as far as I know it's gonna be Michelle Malkin's winged monkeys going out to find this person."
Friday, January 19, 2007
Brok*n Plurals.
How is it that the Symbolic must be a separate logical modality, not reducible to True or False, say, in a determinate context? Such as: running on a football field, between one blast of a whistle and the next, is only "flight" according to certain rules. Or: fear and sorrow for the audience of a tragedy (yet no one rises to prevent), for that room with its stone's-throw removal and for that hour only. --"Killing the king" on a wooden chessboard, even farther from reality. One then is forced to argue that what is true is the form, and what is false is the meaning. But let a transgressor take the play seriously--crossing from the arena (or temenos) into the audience or vice versa--either by plan or by spontaneous choice--this does not work either as act (which might well get handed over to the authorities) or aesthetic expression (what does it express that the stage itself could not speak?). In fact, it's a taboo. And this taboo shows that we are dealing with a separate realm, one that has to be protected from the encroachment of having to choose either truth or falsity.
(Indeed, insofar as "Reality TV" is not simply acting by non-actors, it signifies precisely the collapse of such boundaries, the absence of a viable society. --At the same time as serious artists are responding with hoaxes, pseudodocumentation, and genre crossing.)
"Maguffin"
icy occult
by folk scaffold icy · build
flimsy stark sort · typical of torturing
glut skimp tsantsa · icy mask if off
dorp · historian
adorn · for icy cynic
obsidian cutbacks · birdtalk gloss
adjourn afar · fluid rippling Umbrist ash
How is it that the Symbolic must be a separate logical modality, not reducible to True or False, say, in a determinate context? Such as: running on a football field, between one blast of a whistle and the next, is only "flight" according to certain rules. Or: fear and sorrow for the audience of a tragedy (yet no one rises to prevent), for that room with its stone's-throw removal and for that hour only. --"Killing the king" on a wooden chessboard, even farther from reality. One then is forced to argue that what is true is the form, and what is false is the meaning. But let a transgressor take the play seriously--crossing from the arena (or temenos) into the audience or vice versa--either by plan or by spontaneous choice--this does not work either as act (which might well get handed over to the authorities) or aesthetic expression (what does it express that the stage itself could not speak?). In fact, it's a taboo. And this taboo shows that we are dealing with a separate realm, one that has to be protected from the encroachment of having to choose either truth or falsity.
(Indeed, insofar as "Reality TV" is not simply acting by non-actors, it signifies precisely the collapse of such boundaries, the absence of a viable society. --At the same time as serious artists are responding with hoaxes, pseudodocumentation, and genre crossing.)
"Maguffin"
icy occult
by folk scaffold icy · build
flimsy stark sort · typical of torturing
glut skimp tsantsa · icy mask if off
dorp · historian
adorn · for icy cynic
obsidian cutbacks · birdtalk gloss
adjourn afar · fluid rippling Umbrist ash
"This makes me think that the era of classical music is going to end."
"In room 101, the man who works the latch on the rat cage is your god."
"Davenport speculated that J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbits had their origins in stories he heard from Allen Barnett about country folk in Barnett's home in central Kentucky....[This] seems no more unlikely, however, than Dumneazu's argument for the Appalachian roots of the Klezmer revival."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
"Although I never use the Japanese keys (unless I'm asking Shizu to write something for a Google search), I consider them a badge of honour, a status symbol."
"Good morning everybody,
Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will unveil nominees for its annual Oscar awards in exactly one week, and last night's Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is a likely indicator of things to come. So, let's start with a look at how the races are shaping up in the major races.
First, of course, the Globes divide some categories by genre: either comedy (or musical comedy) and drama, thus spreading the wealth and generating momentum for comic performances which, historically, have met with only middling Academy approval (though, like anything else, there have been notable exceptions). Okay, let's start with Best Actress in a Drama. By now the whole world, or at least hardcore film aficionados (not aficionados of hardcore films) must know that Helen Mirren is the frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar, thanks to her role as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." Last night's Golden Globe win just further cements an already commading lead. Mirren's pre-Oscar kitty at this stage of the game tallies something like two dozen awards, dating back to last year's Venice Film Festival. The winner of the Best Actress in a Comedy award went to Meryl Streep for her sublime turn as the impeccably clad boss from hell in "The Devil Wears Prada." Streep is now most assuredly on target for her 14th Oscar nomination, though it's still Mirren's statuette to lose. Also, here's a clue: while the media has been busy reporting that Meryl Streep is the most nominated actress in Academy history, they've also been selling her a bit short. The truth is, Meryl Streep is not only the most nominated actress in Academy history, she is also--and more importantly--the most nominated performer of either sex in Academy history; the most nominated male is Jack Nicholson, with 12 bids.
Also, Streep was right on when she recalled the relatively large number of good film roles there were for women in 2006, especially as reported in the current "Entertainment Weekly" cover story. Not only is no one complaining about a dearth of Best Actress possibilities, there's reason to rejoice in that three of the strongest contenders, Mirren, Streep and Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"), are thriving at 50+, thus bucking the Academy's recent trend of honoring women in their mid 30's or younger. The last three Academy Best Actress winners, Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line"), Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby"), and Charlize Theron ("Monster") were 29, 30, and 28, respectively, when they took home their awards. [Further, Swank was a mere 24 when she won her first Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry."] Of course, they were all brilliant, but it's good to see that someone out there has suddenly taken such a keen interest in writing stories about more mature women. Dench is 72, Mirren is 61, and Streep is a relative babe at 57. Yet for all that, Annette Bening, still fabulous at 48, seems to be losing steam in her quest to earn a fourth Oscar nom for "Running With Scissors." Too bad. Her performance, for my money, was easily the year's most dazzling--and, hey, I really am a fan of both Mirren and Streep.
Moving on to Best Actor. Again, just as there was no surprise in the Best Actress in a Drama category, there was not even a hiccup in Forest Whitaker's bid for Oscar glory as he nailed yet another win for playing [now deceased] Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." Whitaker has clearly been this season's Best Actor favorite, though the Longview Tx born actor has not obliterated the competition as effectively as Mirren, but that's really beside the point. Whitaker is definitely the actor with the greatest claim on the Oscar at this moment. Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness" is a bigger moneymaker, Leonardo DiCaprio has two chances with "The Departed" & "Blood Diamond, " Ryan Gosling is all brilliant potential in "Half Nelson" (though conspicuously absent as a Globe contender) and seven time nominee Peter O'Toole looms as a strong sentimental favorite for "Venus" (which has yet to go into wide release), but, so far, no one has significantly slowed Whitaker's momentum. That said, the big question mark in this year's Best Actor race is Sacha Baron Cohen, who won the Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for his documentary length, improvisational stunt, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." Full disclosure: I have not seen "Borat," and I don't know if, even in the name of research, I ever will. I know lots of people who have seen the movie and loved it--and assure me it's righteously funny and that I would get a kick out of it, and I really REALLY want to believe them, but every time I see a clip of the movie, I have to wonder what the big deal is. In my admittedly limited exposure, I've only seen a movie that's mean spirited and, to put it mildly, crude. I don't see anything genuinely witty or satirical about it--and Sacha Baron Cohen's vulgar acceptance speech last night did nothing to change my mind. Sorry. (Didn't I read somewhere that 35 year old Brit Cohen was educated at Cambridge? You'd never know it from his vile speech last night--and to think the show's producers let him run on like he did, then immediately turned around and cut-off the producer of "Dreamgirls." Talk about "Foul!")
Btw, writer Peter Morgan who won the Best Screenplay Globe for "The Queen" has much to celebrate. Besides penning "The Queen," he also co-wrote "The Last King of Scotland," which means come February he could find himself in the rare position of having written the year's two most acclaimed leading roles--and in separate films, no less. The last time a writer could make a similar claim was in 1991 when Ted Tally won an Oscar for adapting Jonathan Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs," which, of course, starred Academy victors Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
Okay, now Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor. To the surprise of almost no one, Jennifer Hudson nabbed the award in her category for her full throttle performance as Effie, the showiest character in "Dreamgirls." Barring an unforeseen surge in popularity for Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") or darkhorse bids for Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") or Catherine O'Hara ("For Your Consideration"), Hudson could very well find herself with an Oscar next month. Hudson practically sealed the deal when she dedicated her award to the late Florence Ballard, the ousted Supremes' singer whom Dreamgirls' Effie most obviously resembles. For Eddie Murphy, also in "Dreamgirls," the race is just starting. Over the weekend, he won honors from the Broadcast Film Critics Association--and now the Globe. Still, Murphy is a volatile personality and has made a few enemies during the course of his career, so the Academy might not be ready to make nice just yet. So far, the most frequent presence in the Best Supporting Actor race has been Jackie Earle Haley for "Little Children." Haley curiously was not nominated for a Globe, but in less than two weeks, he and Murphy will duke it out for the Screen Actors Guild Award--along with Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond") and Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), neither of whom should be ruled out just yet. Arkin, after all, is a previous two time Oscar nominee for Best Actor ("The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" [1966] and "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" [1968]), and the Academy loves honoring previously unheralded vets in this category. (Btw, even if Jack Nicholson secures his 13th nomination for "The Departed," I don't see him as heavyweight in this race.) Meanwhile, hopes of Oscar nods are fading for Ben Affleck ("Hollywoodland") and Stanley Tucci ("The Devil Wears Prada").
Now for Best Picture and Best Director. Unfortunately, the Globes did nothing to advance a possible consensus. "Dreamgirls" took the award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, possibly damaging Little Miss Sunshine's chances at a Best Picture nod in the process. [For the record, "Dreamgirls" three awards made it the most honored movie of the evening.] The Hollywood Foreign Press then split Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Director between "Babel" and Martin Scorsese for "The Departed," respectively. I'm inclined to think, absent an overwhelming last minute favorite--like Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" (or, possibly, Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls")--Scorsese is on target to finally claim a competitive Oscar, but his campaigns have been known to famously backfire at the finish line. So far, this season his biggest competition has come from Paul Greengrass of "United 93," a movie which was under represented at last night's ceremony. I think the heat has cooled for both of Eastwood's WWII movies, "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers," but I still don't see "Babel" as a strong contender for Best Picture. Not just yet, at any rate. Oh, and don't be fooled by Eastwood's "Iwo Jima' winning the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Globes. Yes, the movie is in Japanese, but it still has an American director and was produced with American money. This award smacks of a savvy studio's "handling" of the Hollywood Foreign Press. The Academy will be less easily swayed. Contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar must be in the language of the director's homeland and financed accordingly.
Okay, a shout-out to some of the winners in the TV categories and then a quick rundown of the best and worst fashions. I salute Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") for winning Best Actress in a TV Drama. Sedgwick's Detective Brenda Lee Johnson is currently my favorite TV character, and I'm glad that after being an also-ran during last year's awards season she's finally front and center. Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press, thank you so much. Also, congrats to Hugh Laurie ("House"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), America Ferrera and the cast of "Ugly Betty."
My favorite dress of the evening was the emerald number worn by Renee Zellweger, then Rachel Weisz in a stunning red strapless, Sarah Jessica Parker in form fitting "blush" colored brocade, Drew Barrymore, looking surprisingly glam in soft pink, Sharon Stone, always a knockout in basic black, Helen Mirren in teal, and Meryl Streep in gauzy beige. Hilary Swank was tres elegante in a black gown and a sleek 1940's hairdo, held in place with a big jeweled ornament. The first time I saw Swank in profile on the tube, I mistook her for Jennifer Garner--this is a good thing. I loved, loved Reese Witherspoon's lemony cocktail dress, but she loses points for tired, unimaginative, flat-ironed hair. Vanessa Williams took the award for Witherspoon's polar opposite, the evening's biggest hair, a throwback to the '70's. Worst dressed? Cameron Diaz with her dud dark hair and a ruffled, one shouldered ballgown that looked as if it had been attacked by moths. Not a good look. The evening's most impressive male was Terrence Howard, followed by Justin Timberlake (of whom I can honestly say I'm not a fan) and, what the heck, even Warren Beatty who at almost 70 is still a handsome guy--and much better looking than, say, his buddy Jack Nicholson, who's right up there with him in the age department. For that matter, Beatty at 69 is more handsome than Tom Hanks at 50 (and, golly, who was dreamier/hunkier than Beatty back in the 70's when he was making hit films like "Shampoo" and "Heaven Can Wait"?); the worst was, no surprise, always slovenly Philip Seymour Hoffman.
My favorite moment of the evening was seeing Charlie Sheen introduce the clio for "Bobby," the sprawling ensemble pic written and directed by his brother Emilio Estevez. "Bobby" has been a fringe player throughout the awards season, and I'd like to see it snag at least an Oscar nom or two. My least favorite moments were Sacha Baron Cohen's speech and Tom Hanks's clumsy intro of lifetime honoree Beatty.
Well, that's my two cents. I apologize for any bloopers, typos or factual glitches. It's early yet. I also appreciate any questions, suggestions or good natured differences of opinion; however, please be mindful of others' privacy and, if you have any comments, please respond to me specifically and skip the "Reply All" button.
Thanks for your consideration,
Mp"
"Good morning everybody,
Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will unveil nominees for its annual Oscar awards in exactly one week, and last night's Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is a likely indicator of things to come. So, let's start with a look at how the races are shaping up in the major races.
First, of course, the Globes divide some categories by genre: either comedy (or musical comedy) and drama, thus spreading the wealth and generating momentum for comic performances which, historically, have met with only middling Academy approval (though, like anything else, there have been notable exceptions). Okay, let's start with Best Actress in a Drama. By now the whole world, or at least hardcore film aficionados (not aficionados of hardcore films) must know that Helen Mirren is the frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar, thanks to her role as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." Last night's Golden Globe win just further cements an already commading lead. Mirren's pre-Oscar kitty at this stage of the game tallies something like two dozen awards, dating back to last year's Venice Film Festival. The winner of the Best Actress in a Comedy award went to Meryl Streep for her sublime turn as the impeccably clad boss from hell in "The Devil Wears Prada." Streep is now most assuredly on target for her 14th Oscar nomination, though it's still Mirren's statuette to lose. Also, here's a clue: while the media has been busy reporting that Meryl Streep is the most nominated actress in Academy history, they've also been selling her a bit short. The truth is, Meryl Streep is not only the most nominated actress in Academy history, she is also--and more importantly--the most nominated performer of either sex in Academy history; the most nominated male is Jack Nicholson, with 12 bids.
Also, Streep was right on when she recalled the relatively large number of good film roles there were for women in 2006, especially as reported in the current "Entertainment Weekly" cover story. Not only is no one complaining about a dearth of Best Actress possibilities, there's reason to rejoice in that three of the strongest contenders, Mirren, Streep and Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"), are thriving at 50+, thus bucking the Academy's recent trend of honoring women in their mid 30's or younger. The last three Academy Best Actress winners, Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line"), Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby"), and Charlize Theron ("Monster") were 29, 30, and 28, respectively, when they took home their awards. [Further, Swank was a mere 24 when she won her first Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry."] Of course, they were all brilliant, but it's good to see that someone out there has suddenly taken such a keen interest in writing stories about more mature women. Dench is 72, Mirren is 61, and Streep is a relative babe at 57. Yet for all that, Annette Bening, still fabulous at 48, seems to be losing steam in her quest to earn a fourth Oscar nom for "Running With Scissors." Too bad. Her performance, for my money, was easily the year's most dazzling--and, hey, I really am a fan of both Mirren and Streep.
Moving on to Best Actor. Again, just as there was no surprise in the Best Actress in a Drama category, there was not even a hiccup in Forest Whitaker's bid for Oscar glory as he nailed yet another win for playing [now deceased] Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." Whitaker has clearly been this season's Best Actor favorite, though the Longview Tx born actor has not obliterated the competition as effectively as Mirren, but that's really beside the point. Whitaker is definitely the actor with the greatest claim on the Oscar at this moment. Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness" is a bigger moneymaker, Leonardo DiCaprio has two chances with "The Departed" & "Blood Diamond, " Ryan Gosling is all brilliant potential in "Half Nelson" (though conspicuously absent as a Globe contender) and seven time nominee Peter O'Toole looms as a strong sentimental favorite for "Venus" (which has yet to go into wide release), but, so far, no one has significantly slowed Whitaker's momentum. That said, the big question mark in this year's Best Actor race is Sacha Baron Cohen, who won the Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for his documentary length, improvisational stunt, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." Full disclosure: I have not seen "Borat," and I don't know if, even in the name of research, I ever will. I know lots of people who have seen the movie and loved it--and assure me it's righteously funny and that I would get a kick out of it, and I really REALLY want to believe them, but every time I see a clip of the movie, I have to wonder what the big deal is. In my admittedly limited exposure, I've only seen a movie that's mean spirited and, to put it mildly, crude. I don't see anything genuinely witty or satirical about it--and Sacha Baron Cohen's vulgar acceptance speech last night did nothing to change my mind. Sorry. (Didn't I read somewhere that 35 year old Brit Cohen was educated at Cambridge? You'd never know it from his vile speech last night--and to think the show's producers let him run on like he did, then immediately turned around and cut-off the producer of "Dreamgirls." Talk about "Foul!")
Btw, writer Peter Morgan who won the Best Screenplay Globe for "The Queen" has much to celebrate. Besides penning "The Queen," he also co-wrote "The Last King of Scotland," which means come February he could find himself in the rare position of having written the year's two most acclaimed leading roles--and in separate films, no less. The last time a writer could make a similar claim was in 1991 when Ted Tally won an Oscar for adapting Jonathan Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs," which, of course, starred Academy victors Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
Okay, now Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor. To the surprise of almost no one, Jennifer Hudson nabbed the award in her category for her full throttle performance as Effie, the showiest character in "Dreamgirls." Barring an unforeseen surge in popularity for Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") or darkhorse bids for Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") or Catherine O'Hara ("For Your Consideration"), Hudson could very well find herself with an Oscar next month. Hudson practically sealed the deal when she dedicated her award to the late Florence Ballard, the ousted Supremes' singer whom Dreamgirls' Effie most obviously resembles. For Eddie Murphy, also in "Dreamgirls," the race is just starting. Over the weekend, he won honors from the Broadcast Film Critics Association--and now the Globe. Still, Murphy is a volatile personality and has made a few enemies during the course of his career, so the Academy might not be ready to make nice just yet. So far, the most frequent presence in the Best Supporting Actor race has been Jackie Earle Haley for "Little Children." Haley curiously was not nominated for a Globe, but in less than two weeks, he and Murphy will duke it out for the Screen Actors Guild Award--along with Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond") and Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), neither of whom should be ruled out just yet. Arkin, after all, is a previous two time Oscar nominee for Best Actor ("The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" [1966] and "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" [1968]), and the Academy loves honoring previously unheralded vets in this category. (Btw, even if Jack Nicholson secures his 13th nomination for "The Departed," I don't see him as heavyweight in this race.) Meanwhile, hopes of Oscar nods are fading for Ben Affleck ("Hollywoodland") and Stanley Tucci ("The Devil Wears Prada").
Now for Best Picture and Best Director. Unfortunately, the Globes did nothing to advance a possible consensus. "Dreamgirls" took the award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, possibly damaging Little Miss Sunshine's chances at a Best Picture nod in the process. [For the record, "Dreamgirls" three awards made it the most honored movie of the evening.] The Hollywood Foreign Press then split Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Director between "Babel" and Martin Scorsese for "The Departed," respectively. I'm inclined to think, absent an overwhelming last minute favorite--like Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" (or, possibly, Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls")--Scorsese is on target to finally claim a competitive Oscar, but his campaigns have been known to famously backfire at the finish line. So far, this season his biggest competition has come from Paul Greengrass of "United 93," a movie which was under represented at last night's ceremony. I think the heat has cooled for both of Eastwood's WWII movies, "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers," but I still don't see "Babel" as a strong contender for Best Picture. Not just yet, at any rate. Oh, and don't be fooled by Eastwood's "Iwo Jima' winning the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Globes. Yes, the movie is in Japanese, but it still has an American director and was produced with American money. This award smacks of a savvy studio's "handling" of the Hollywood Foreign Press. The Academy will be less easily swayed. Contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar must be in the language of the director's homeland and financed accordingly.
Okay, a shout-out to some of the winners in the TV categories and then a quick rundown of the best and worst fashions. I salute Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") for winning Best Actress in a TV Drama. Sedgwick's Detective Brenda Lee Johnson is currently my favorite TV character, and I'm glad that after being an also-ran during last year's awards season she's finally front and center. Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press, thank you so much. Also, congrats to Hugh Laurie ("House"), Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), America Ferrera and the cast of "Ugly Betty."
My favorite dress of the evening was the emerald number worn by Renee Zellweger, then Rachel Weisz in a stunning red strapless, Sarah Jessica Parker in form fitting "blush" colored brocade, Drew Barrymore, looking surprisingly glam in soft pink, Sharon Stone, always a knockout in basic black, Helen Mirren in teal, and Meryl Streep in gauzy beige. Hilary Swank was tres elegante in a black gown and a sleek 1940's hairdo, held in place with a big jeweled ornament. The first time I saw Swank in profile on the tube, I mistook her for Jennifer Garner--this is a good thing. I loved, loved Reese Witherspoon's lemony cocktail dress, but she loses points for tired, unimaginative, flat-ironed hair. Vanessa Williams took the award for Witherspoon's polar opposite, the evening's biggest hair, a throwback to the '70's. Worst dressed? Cameron Diaz with her dud dark hair and a ruffled, one shouldered ballgown that looked as if it had been attacked by moths. Not a good look. The evening's most impressive male was Terrence Howard, followed by Justin Timberlake (of whom I can honestly say I'm not a fan) and, what the heck, even Warren Beatty who at almost 70 is still a handsome guy--and much better looking than, say, his buddy Jack Nicholson, who's right up there with him in the age department. For that matter, Beatty at 69 is more handsome than Tom Hanks at 50 (and, golly, who was dreamier/hunkier than Beatty back in the 70's when he was making hit films like "Shampoo" and "Heaven Can Wait"?); the worst was, no surprise, always slovenly Philip Seymour Hoffman.
My favorite moment of the evening was seeing Charlie Sheen introduce the clio for "Bobby," the sprawling ensemble pic written and directed by his brother Emilio Estevez. "Bobby" has been a fringe player throughout the awards season, and I'd like to see it snag at least an Oscar nom or two. My least favorite moments were Sacha Baron Cohen's speech and Tom Hanks's clumsy intro of lifetime honoree Beatty.
Well, that's my two cents. I apologize for any bloopers, typos or factual glitches. It's early yet. I also appreciate any questions, suggestions or good natured differences of opinion; however, please be mindful of others' privacy and, if you have any comments, please respond to me specifically and skip the "Reply All" button.
Thanks for your consideration,
Mp"
Filmoj.
"Hello, everybody. Well the countdown to the Oscars just keeps getting more and more exciting. Today the Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced the nomiees for its annual awards. The DGA is the official union of American film directors and has been handing out a Director of the Year prize since the 1940's. Of all the awards that precede the Oscars at this time of year, the DGA honor is typically the most dead-on accurate barometer of how the Academy will vote--for Best Director and, by default, Best Picture. Again, this duplication can be explained because directors in the union nominate among their peers for the DGA award in the same way that members of the Academy's directors' branch, also from the union, serve as that organization's initial selection committee. This year's nominees are:
Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls")
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine")
Stephen Frears ("The Queen")
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel")
and
Martin Scorsese for ("The Departed")
Of course, Scorsese is the heavyweight here, having previously been nominated six times, most recently for 2004's "The Aviator." Scorsese has never won the DGA prize, per se, but he was honored for his entire body of work a few years ago. There's a lot of interest in Scorsese this time because not only is he without a DGA win for a specific film, he's also famously never won an Oscar. Meanwhile, Stephen Frears was Oscar nominated for 1990's "The Grfiters," which Scorsese produced. On the other hand, Frears was--infamously--not nominated for directing 1988's Best Picture nominee "Dangerous Liaisons." I, for one, am still bent out of shape over that one.
There are some noteworthy omissions for the DGA prize, including Clint Eastwood ("Flags of Our Fathers" and/or "Letters from Iwo Jima"), Emilio Estevez ("Bobby"), Todd Field ("Little Children"), Paul Greengrass ("United 93"), and Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth"); however, the real story here is the two-fer nomination of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Little Miss Sunshine." If the momentum for "Little Miss Sunshine" continues, Dayton and Faris will be one of the very few "director teams" nominated for the Oscar. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two others: Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise ("West Side Story" 1961--and they won), and Warren Beatty and Buck Henry ("Heaven Can Wait," 1978); moreover, Faris could find herself only the fourth woman nominated for the Academy's Best Director Oscar--and only the second American woman, in fact. Obviously, a woman has yet to win this award. Should she get the nod, Faris will follow in the footsteps of Lina Wertmuller ("Seven Beauties," 1976), Jane Campion ("The Piano," 1993), and Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," 2003). FYI: Randa Haines ("Children of a Lesser God," 1986), Penny Marshall ("Awakenings," 1990), and Barbra Streisand ("The Prince of Tides, 1991") are all women who directed Best Picture nominees without likewise being recognized.
Below you will find excerpts from two Variety.com articles: one about the DGA, and the other about the USC Scripter Award. The next few weeks will bring nominations from the Writers Guild and the American Society of Cinematographers. The Broadcast Film Critics name their picks this Thursday, the Golden Globes are this coming Monday (1/15), and Oscar noms will be announced Tuesday morning (1/23).
Mp"
"Hello, everybody. Well the countdown to the Oscars just keeps getting more and more exciting. Today the Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced the nomiees for its annual awards. The DGA is the official union of American film directors and has been handing out a Director of the Year prize since the 1940's. Of all the awards that precede the Oscars at this time of year, the DGA honor is typically the most dead-on accurate barometer of how the Academy will vote--for Best Director and, by default, Best Picture. Again, this duplication can be explained because directors in the union nominate among their peers for the DGA award in the same way that members of the Academy's directors' branch, also from the union, serve as that organization's initial selection committee. This year's nominees are:
Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls")
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine")
Stephen Frears ("The Queen")
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel")
and
Martin Scorsese for ("The Departed")
Of course, Scorsese is the heavyweight here, having previously been nominated six times, most recently for 2004's "The Aviator." Scorsese has never won the DGA prize, per se, but he was honored for his entire body of work a few years ago. There's a lot of interest in Scorsese this time because not only is he without a DGA win for a specific film, he's also famously never won an Oscar. Meanwhile, Stephen Frears was Oscar nominated for 1990's "The Grfiters," which Scorsese produced. On the other hand, Frears was--infamously--not nominated for directing 1988's Best Picture nominee "Dangerous Liaisons." I, for one, am still bent out of shape over that one.
There are some noteworthy omissions for the DGA prize, including Clint Eastwood ("Flags of Our Fathers" and/or "Letters from Iwo Jima"), Emilio Estevez ("Bobby"), Todd Field ("Little Children"), Paul Greengrass ("United 93"), and Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth"); however, the real story here is the two-fer nomination of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Little Miss Sunshine." If the momentum for "Little Miss Sunshine" continues, Dayton and Faris will be one of the very few "director teams" nominated for the Oscar. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two others: Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise ("West Side Story" 1961--and they won), and Warren Beatty and Buck Henry ("Heaven Can Wait," 1978); moreover, Faris could find herself only the fourth woman nominated for the Academy's Best Director Oscar--and only the second American woman, in fact. Obviously, a woman has yet to win this award. Should she get the nod, Faris will follow in the footsteps of Lina Wertmuller ("Seven Beauties," 1976), Jane Campion ("The Piano," 1993), and Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," 2003). FYI: Randa Haines ("Children of a Lesser God," 1986), Penny Marshall ("Awakenings," 1990), and Barbra Streisand ("The Prince of Tides, 1991") are all women who directed Best Picture nominees without likewise being recognized.
Below you will find excerpts from two Variety.com articles: one about the DGA, and the other about the USC Scripter Award. The next few weeks will bring nominations from the Writers Guild and the American Society of Cinematographers. The Broadcast Film Critics name their picks this Thursday, the Golden Globes are this coming Monday (1/15), and Oscar noms will be announced Tuesday morning (1/23).
Mp"
(via //for*stpirat* dot n*t slash pictur*s)
'This year has raised a fine crop of poets; there was scarcely a day throughout the month of April when someone was not giving a public reading.' --Pliny, quoted in Th* Mammoth Book of 3y*witn*ss*s: Anci*nt Rom*
All that we think, dream, or perceive, passes either through the horn gate of As-If, or the ivory gate of Not-As If.
Truth Tables. Not to be construed as adding ~T ∩ ~F and ~T ∪ ~F (redundantly), but rather a profound recognition of the metaphorical nature of language, involving as it does a devalorization ofthe pole "Truth", which is either tautology or insight... [picture of a tetrahedron with vertices T, F, Q', and G'.]
if i among shards of shadows crawl
shall thoughts act Canopus krill
military wisp
coils out of shoggoth and talisman coral
as Grinchus
drifts past a Zaqaziq kraal
Th* N*w Adv*ntur*s of Hitl*r.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
"Grinchus Balboa"
ordalic palinodist
O Noah rainbow palinodist
gray but possibly not as our mild noon crawls
waltz palinodist
Grinchus trains
vain sciamachy palinodist
Logic is an attitude toward description. Since it is a subset of descriptive language, fuazole & gwedd belong in the category of nondescriptive language, rather than as forms of logic. Statements-in-context have truth-values, but isolated sentences don't. (They only have shorn meanings.) And all meanings derive from an allusion to shared experience. Thus poetry (as fuazole) is the least transferrable (in time, space, or language) form of communication--it becomes frop too easily--except insofar as it is both simply expressed & universal in scope. ...Poetry survives cosmopolitanism only because of the magical utility of gwedd poetry...
Th* Tru* Furqan. Plus.
ordalic palinodist
O Noah rainbow palinodist
gray but possibly not as our mild noon crawls
waltz palinodist
Grinchus trains
vain sciamachy palinodist
Logic is an attitude toward description. Since it is a subset of descriptive language, fuazole & gwedd belong in the category of nondescriptive language, rather than as forms of logic. Statements-in-context have truth-values, but isolated sentences don't. (They only have shorn meanings.) And all meanings derive from an allusion to shared experience. Thus poetry (as fuazole) is the least transferrable (in time, space, or language) form of communication--it becomes frop too easily--except insofar as it is both simply expressed & universal in scope. ...Poetry survives cosmopolitanism only because of the magical utility of gwedd poetry...
Th* Tru* Furqan. Plus.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
(via m*mory dot loc dot gov slash pnp)
Everything exists, even Nothingness. The Nothingness that exists is As-If [fuazole]. By virtue of As-If, Cosmos is & is not; Mind is and is not. The part of mind that is-not (Language) corresponds both to the part of cosmos that is (things) & the part of cosmos that is-not (the Unmanifest). Thus Language has secular & sacred aspects.
raft lucky amidst
drowning thalassa of days
that still must watch it
gray floors and so much waiting
staring with harsh droning sounds
6174. (= 3037 + 3137)
"...morality is the most dark and daring of conspiracies..." --Ch*st*rton
Monday, January 15, 2007
"...the Real is the symbolic itself in the modality of non-All..." --Slavoj Žižek, Th* Pupp*t and th* Dwarf (2003)
"Ironic" r*ironiciz*d. (via M*tafilt*r)
"Aphorism"
crypt moorings
stunt cannot bury warrior diplomat
twilight is a light
star stomp carious lungfish
planing crypt
around us only an army char
dawn part of rainbow chull and us pour adopt
tarn owing
"My livid past still lingered about me, but faintly, like the roar inside a seashell, and my longing for it was a dull arrhythmic spasm, or murmur, in the meat of my functioning heart." --V*ronica
Dhjksdc (4-value logic).
Fuazole = both-true-and-false [T ∪ F, Metaphor] (noun; adjective= "irreal"), symbol: Q'
Gwedd = neither-true-nor-false [~T ∩ ~F, Nonsense] (adjective; noun= "frop"), symbol: G'
Glaugnea has both logical and observational modifiers: the default is true, apparently & really, for me &/or some others.
apparently apparently despite
and really but not appearances
true --- VR' VL'
false P' PR' PL'
irreal Q' QR' QL'
gwedd G' GR' GL'
Fuazole: also includes collaborative conceptual structures (occult traditions, religious doctrines)--even: bwinmol [conlangs] (usage). The "Rainbow Bridge" of concepts is like a poet's idiolect. ...Legends...Games...
Photocroms. (--Prior to this, i would go out & look for.)
"Ironic" r*ironiciz*d. (via M*tafilt*r)
"Aphorism"
crypt moorings
stunt cannot bury warrior diplomat
twilight is a light
star stomp carious lungfish
planing crypt
around us only an army char
dawn part of rainbow chull and us pour adopt
tarn owing
"My livid past still lingered about me, but faintly, like the roar inside a seashell, and my longing for it was a dull arrhythmic spasm, or murmur, in the meat of my functioning heart." --V*ronica
Dhjksdc (4-value logic).
Fuazole = both-true-and-false [T ∪ F, Metaphor] (noun; adjective= "irreal"), symbol: Q'
Gwedd = neither-true-nor-false [~T ∩ ~F, Nonsense] (adjective; noun= "frop"), symbol: G'
Glaugnea has both logical and observational modifiers: the default is true, apparently & really, for me &/or some others.
apparently apparently despite
and really but not appearances
true --- VR' VL'
false P' PR' PL'
irreal Q' QR' QL'
gwedd G' GR' GL'
Fuazole: also includes collaborative conceptual structures (occult traditions, religious doctrines)--even: bwinmol [conlangs] (usage). The "Rainbow Bridge" of concepts is like a poet's idiolect. ...Legends...Games...
Photocroms. (--Prior to this, i would go out & look for.)
Sunday, January 14, 2007
"...sedition is, by definition, ungrammatical; the artist is the first to recognize when a language is lying." --B*rg*r
3 Pulitz*rs.
"Howdah"
thwart common photon cannons
a word that i hold
clairbuoyant duppy Podvaxtag glim
and wolf tag
Paintings that chang*d th* World.
Dualisms directly proceed from prejudice to absurdity, in a foreordained march that is nonetheless incomprehensible to their footsoldiers.
"Tolkien intends the relationship of Quenya to Sindarin to be the same as Latin's relationship to the Celtic and Welsh languages used in Britain when the Romans arrived." --David Colb*rt, Th* Magical Worlds of Th* Lord of th* Rings (2002)
3 Pulitz*rs.
"Howdah"
thwart common photon cannons
a word that i hold
clairbuoyant duppy Podvaxtag glim
and wolf tag
Paintings that chang*d th* World.
Dualisms directly proceed from prejudice to absurdity, in a foreordained march that is nonetheless incomprehensible to their footsoldiers.
"Tolkien intends the relationship of Quenya to Sindarin to be the same as Latin's relationship to the Celtic and Welsh languages used in Britain when the Romans arrived." --David Colb*rt, Th* Magical Worlds of Th* Lord of th* Rings (2002)