Subtrahend

Sunday, March 30, 2003

· Here's a good bit from Lt. Smash, which I recommend. He's in Iraq, or nearby. Anyway, visit his site:

Met with some of the locals again today.
They were excited. They are anticipating the end of Saddam’s evil regime even more than we are.

They were glued to their satellite TV set, switching between Al-Jazeera, FOX News, BBC, the local station, and Iraqi TV. They especially enjoyed the female anchor on FOX, with her short skirt.

“What city?” One asked, pointing at the woman on the TV.

“New York.”

“I must go there!” They all laughed.

Switched to the Iraqi station. An Iraqi general was giving a briefing. He had dark circles under his eyes, and was looking around the room as if he was frightened for his life. Probably hadn’t slept in days.

They translated some of his statements, for my benefit. The general was making outrageous claims of victory on all fronts, which were met with cries of “Bulls—t!” from my hosts. They mocked him.

Switched to BBC. The anchor announced that the port city of Umm Qasr had been secured, and would be receiving humanitarian supplies within days.

“Sir, is it true,” they asked me, “is Umm Qasr secured?”

“That’s what he said.”

“Can we go there?” This puzzled me.

“Why would you want to go there?”

“Dancing girls! Beer!”

Then it hit me – Umm Qasr is a border town. For these men, it holds memories of a different time, a time before war, when they could travel freely to Iraq, and do all the things not allowed in their own country.

Umm Qasr is their Tijuana.

I was invited to stay for lunch, and I could not refuse. They served roasted chicken on a bed of rice, with curry spices. The food was on communal plates, and they weren’t at all shy about using their hand to eat – but only their right hand. Desert was chopped dates.

I was torn away, all too soon, by a call on my radio.

Back to work.

·And unfortunate, but it seems that woman who got run over in Israel was just reckless: here's a good summary on Oxblog.

— posted by P | at 10:01 AM | |

Saturday, March 29, 2003

· I don't know. If I were Saddam Hussein, and I had a lot of WMD salted away, now is the time I'd dig them out and use them.

— posted by P | at 2:46 AM | |

Thursday, March 27, 2003

· Now I want to remind myself (and anyone else ... er) that "Watch" has a new address, which I've also fixed in the "blogroll" to your immediate right. His new address is http://watch.windsofchange.net/, i.e., at "windsofchange.net". Some kind of beehive of excitement they have there.

— posted by P | at 12:31 PM | |

· I've been thinking about Mr Marshall's points (quoted and alluded to a scant 1.5 cm. below this). This is the thing that has been bothering everyone, and it might be the answer to all those searching and sometimes abusive pieces in the media, "Why Do those Bastards not Agree with Us?" (meaning France, Germany, etc.), and so on.

It's not just invading Iraq that gives one pause. It's the idea of taking up the jihadi gauntlet on mujahedin terms. Our own terms—which are more comforting—involve thinking or talking our way out of a difficulty, or at least, "coming up with something". The mujahedin want to fight to the death, with really crude weapons.

The non-mujahedin way doesn't always work. But is this faint-heartedness? Maybe not. Maybe, for the time being, it's no more than a careful appreciation of what exactly we are facing. I don't think you need to hurry with that.

— posted by P | at 11:19 AM | |

· And now this from Joshua Marshall:

This war isn't really about Iraq or deposing Saddam or even eliminating his WMD, though each of those are important benefits along the way. Nor is it something so mundane as a 'war for oil.' The leading architects of this war in and out of the administration see this war, and have pursued it, as an opening blow in a far broader war against political Islam. They see it as the first in a series of wars and near-wars which will lead eventually to the overthrow of most of the current governments in the Middle East, the establishment of western-oriented democracies throughout the Arab world, and the destruction of nothing less than the political world of Islamic fundamentalism.

Sounds like a, yes, a Bit of a Job. Read more here.

I don't say that I agree with Mr Marshall. I really can't think of any objections to his points, however.

— posted by P | at 10:46 AM | |

The Grauniad says ( and I know this from Eschaton):

TALLIL AIRFIELD, Southern Iraq (AP) - The first U.S. airplane landed Thursday at a key Iraqi airfield, which forces informally renamed "`Bush International Airport.''

It is indeed informal, yet one wonders: is that really necessary? Don't you think it would be good to not do that?

— posted by P | at 10:11 AM | |

· Stephen Pollard has a link to this Most Loathsome New Yorkers business. I don't know who most of these people are. Oh, here we are: No. 27, "John Negroponte, U.S. Representative to the U.N." ... "The latest incarnation of this unkillable Friday the 13th-style right-wing monster haunts the Camp Crystal Lake of our own U.N. building..." Yes, all right. The sentiment is fairly clear. Who else? Woody Allen (his latest movies, I take it, are "one gigantic exercise in bourgeois team-building"—afraid I don't know what that means; have a look yourself), Steinbrenner ("infantile persecution complexes"), Kissinger, Safire, right. I can see why you might be a trifle weary of them, but you'd hardly loathe—wait! Tina Brown, former editor. Ah, that was terrible. The New Yorker, that monument to Ross and Thurber, E.B. White ... allow me to relive that for a moment. She turned it into some kind of nutty British gossip raglet. It was like The Sun on very expensive paper. "Whew, What a Scorcher" I kept expecting as their headline.

Fortunately The New Yorker is back on track now. Have a look. Cartoons still good, reportage interesting, stories kind of sub-Updike.

— posted by P | at 8:54 AM | |

· Flit has a good link explaining the merit of the Kornet E, a Russian anti-armour missile which may have been used against U.S. tanks in Iraq. Here's a paragraph from there:

Kornet is a third generation system, developed to replace the Fagot and Konkurs missile systems in the Russian Army. It is designed to destroy tanks, including those fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA), fortifications, entrenched troops as well as small-scale targets.

It was a good idea to replace that Fagot thing. And what a weapon! It's extremely versatile, either on a tripod or vehicle. The article mentions that some have been sold to Syria.

— posted by P | at 8:22 AM | |

· It is the year 2001.
You are in weightless condition aboard the spaceliner, Orion, on the first leg of your journey from Earth to the Moon.

That's, of course, from the liner notes to the soundtrack of 2001: a space odyssey (MGM Records, Inc., 1973).

But 2001 was a couple of years ago and we are not weightless, but heavily encumbered. We are practically in the middle ages, fighting the Saracens again! More from the cover (actually, the inside; it was one of those folding things with stills and so on inside):

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is an adventure which spans the whole history of the human race. Seeing it takes you on a voyage into the great age of exploration that is opening up for mankind among the planets and beyond....In 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the great American director, Stanley Kubrick ("The Killing", "Lolita", "Paths of Glory", "Dr. Strangelove") reveals the strangeness, beauty and wonder we will discover on the moon, the planets, and among the stars—in the year 2001.

(I presume these notes were written around the time of the movie's release, in 1968.)

— posted by P | at 7:48 AM | |

· In the future you might wake up and find that you are the only person who knows how to play a 33 1/3 rpm LP from the mid-sixties. Just imagine, these future guys, these Tomorrow's Joes (Jap. = Ashita no Joe) , are puzzling over a vinyl recording and wondering what it is. It's "Antiques Road Show", let's say, and you are able to explain to them: "It's 'analog', and has to be played at 33 1/3 'rounds per minute'". And they ask: "What do you mean by 'minit'?"

In Italian this "Tomorrow's Joe" is called "Rocky Joe". The Japanese means "Joe of Tomorrow" , "Joe of the Future", or "Future Joe", or something like that. If you look at this Italian site you will get some idea of how enthusiastic adults can get about a comic-hero.

If I'm not mistaken, Superman was sometimes referred to as "the Man of Tomorrow" in early strips. Something funny about this idea of futuristic demigods: doesn't it suggest people are unhappy with the way things are in this boring old "today", which is really all we have? When they talk of these things, and read and write comic strips about them, it means they're entertaining themselves with daydreams: "And then I might do this, and then this could happen, and then I could be like James Bond."

It's big business.

— posted by P | at 6:03 AM | |

· Today's war news? Well, no different from what anyone would have expected: death and fear and things getting blown up. And people having to lie about it. Here's a good summary though:

The battle seems to have begun when 7th Cavalry, after bumping up against Karbala on the west bank, doubled back about 50 miles south to sneak across the Euphrates near Samawah, then drove 50 miles BACK north on the east bank to capture the first of the Najaf bridges from the other side. Nice work, that. CNN's Walter Rodgers' cryptic comments on Tuesday morning our time (see post below) are cleared up. As I said, no new ground advances... but still a LOT of fighting as the Americans consolidate and regroup. They need to clear out Najaf, and then also Diwaniyah, to have a secure paved road back to Kuwait, and a firm base going into Phase Two.

I think you have to check in at Bruce Rolston if you want the best coverage and analysis. There is going to be a great deal of factual inexactitude in the coming months.

— posted by P | at 5:50 AM | |

· Okay, at last something interesting on my shelf of stuff; a nice LP: "MGM presents a STANLEY KUBRICK PRODUCTION: 2000 a space odyssey. Cinerama. Super Panavision and Metrocolor. Music from the motion picture sound track." The LP I am looking at is still in its original cellophane wrapper, and cost somebody $4.97 at "Cumberland", wherever that was. The cover art is tinted pen-and-ink, a bit like French bd's of the period.

— posted by P | at 5:35 AM | |

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

· WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. war planners may have miscalculated the strength and capability of paramilitary fghters in Iraq, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

The official told CNN that "I think we underestimated" the Saddam Fedayeen, a group of paramilitary fighters said to be loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday. (... more)

That's probably a valid point, but not one that needs to be made just now. It's not going to help matters when people discover that some of these Fedayeen are underage. Best just get on with it until this horrible business is over and then draw some lessons from the whole miserable experience.

In other news it seems the U.S. has demanded that Japan close the Iraqi embassy to Japan (from UPI) and the Japanese—a member of the "Coalition of the Willing"—has declined to do so. The thing is, you don't tell the Japanese what to do; you have to couch the request in Japanese terms. Instead of bawling "Close the Iraqi embassy, motherfuckers", you should say, "There is an Iraqi embassy in your country; this saddens us", and they would probably seek to do what you want. It's called "diplomacy". Good thing to get a hold of before you start redesigning the whole world.

— posted by P | at 1:53 PM | |

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

· Some pretty unpleasant stuff about the death of ITV journalist Terry Lloyd, as told by Daniel Demoustier:

"Immediately the allied tanks started heavy firing directly at us. Rounds were coming straight at the Jeep, smashing the windows and puncturing holes in the bodywork," he was quoted as saying. "Then the whole car was on fire. We were enveloped in flames. It was terrifying. I'm so angry that we were fired on by the allies. The Iraqis must have been their real target but I'm sure they were surrendering and anyway they were all dead within minutes." Demoustier said he had tried to break cover and join an Iraqi farming family who were walking down the road with a white flag. But he was forced to retreat to the ditch when machine guns began to fire again."

There's a bit more at the Guardian.

— posted by P | at 9:33 AM | |

Thursday, March 20, 2003

· China is upset: China demanded Thursday that military action against Iraq stop immediately and said the initial attack was "violating the norms of international behavior." Via Drudge

And here's what's on CNN:

• U.S. Marines, Iraqi troops clash at Kuwaiti border, with 'very, very heavy' artillery fire, New York Times reporter says

• Planes from USS Lincoln hit Iraqi targets; U.S. Special Forces on recon missions in southern Iraq

• Rumsfeld says "days of the Saddam Hussein regime are numbered," warns Iraqi officers to "save themselves"

• U.S. military officials confirm there are oil well fires in southern Iraq, near Kuwaiti border

— posted by P | at 9:34 AM | |

· Another quotation: "The popularity of hamburgers is a manifestation of magical thinking. Eating them (or for that matter wearing baseball caps backwards, a custom that has reached the remotest regions of the globe) will bring the easy and abundant life that is man's inalienable birthright."
—Theodore Dalrymple. (... read his latest.)

— posted by P | at 8:24 AM | |

· Quae tam segnis erit donis ingrata supernis, quae se hoc non sponte nectare pascat apes? Which means ... even insects are in on God's scheme.

— posted by P | at 8:21 AM | |

· True to our military concerns these days, I am now cataloguing a book entitled Memoires de Montecuculi, generalissime des troupes de l'empereur, printed in Amsterdam in 1746. There are several editions of this. The particular copy I have here, however, is signed by General James Wolfe. A humble "J. Wolfe. Paris. 1753." And on the flyleaf: "Given me by my friend, the late General Wolfe, 1753. Guy Carleton." That's to say, 1st Baron Dorchester (1724-1808), governor of Quebec, and British commander during the American Revolution. This is where history sleeps.

"In fact, from October 1752 to March 1753, Wolfe was in Versailles and the environs of Paris, where he set himself to mastering the French language. The majority of the works that concern us [i.e., their collection] are in French, which is not surprising for a British general anxious to study the military tactics of France, the traditional enemy of Britain."—National Library News, February 1996, Vol. 28, no. 2.

— posted by P | at 7:36 AM | |

· Today I have in my hands this book: Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica. This copy was published in London, "Apud Guil. & Joh. Innys, 1726", i.e., when the author was still alive. Is it possible that Newton actually saw this very copy? Maybe the printers said, "Look here, that's the latest Run of your Worke, Sir", pointing to a heap of volumes, and Newton might have picked up the very one I have here and stroked its pages.

No more war news to speak of. I suppose U.S. troops are on the move to Basra and the Euphrates as we speak.

— posted by P | at 6:54 AM | |

· The war started last night with a strike against Iraq's rulers. According to the CBC's Patrick Brown, people in Northern Iraq (what he called "Kurdistan") are jubilant. Time to wish U.S. troops well and stop bickering.

— posted by P | at 5:38 AM | |

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

· Well, we've another four and a half hours before the war. The deadline is, I understand, 21:00 Atlantic Time. The question is which do you tune in, the war or the Academy Awards? Somebody named "Jack Cafferty" asked this on CNN earlier today. The answer's easy: watch the war. If something really important happens at the Oscars (best original score, for example), they'll interrupt to keep you informed. Then it will be "and now back to the Gulf War, already in progress".

— posted by P | at 12:30 PM | |

· Carthago Delenda est: Cato the Elder fought in the Second Punic War. He is said to have believed that the Carthaginians kept breaking treaties. They were in "material breach", as we now say. It is unclear exactly what treaties they had broken, but this view gave rise to the Latin expression Punica fides, or "Punic faith", to mean perfidy. Cato was made censor in 184 BC, and one of his duties was to root out immorality and corruption. He was rather conservative, even sponsoring a law against luxury, and it was this attitude that really made him loath Carthage, not, it seems, the political history. He visited the city as part of an embassy and was revolted by the vulgar commercialism and wealth. He was against Romans' learning Greek when they had perfectly good Latin to speak. He even wrote a little something in Latin, perhaps you've heard of it: De agri cultura liber, a treatise on farming. It is not very exciting. Whenever he said his famous "Carthago delenda" line, Scipio Nasica (the son-in-law of Scipio Africanus, who had defeated the Carthaginians) objected; he may have thought that defeating it was enough, and laying vaste to it would be excessive. In any case, Cato got his wish, and although the Carthaginians had handed over all their weapons, Scipio Aemilianus (son of the adopted son of Scipio Africanus) had to besiege the city and destroy it in 146 BC, at the conclusion of the Third Punic War. It was then to be burned and levelled, and the land cursed. As Scipio watched the old buildings and palaces burn to the ground, he wept. "One day it will be our turn", he said.

— posted by P | at 10:29 AM | |

· Wittie Worke: The first English translation of Thomas More's Utopia, made by Ralph Robinson in the late 16th century, was entitled: A frutefull, pleasaunt, & wittie worke, of the beste state of a publique weale ... . Of course it's not something a writer would claim of his own "worke", but there seems to be a dearth of wittie workes these days. What passes for wit is too often poorly-controlled sarcasm, archness, or moth-eaten irony. Sure, you're supposed to laugh: it has that stale smell of old Mad magazines. And the concern for "a publique weale"? When was the last time you read something that proceeded from anything like that, instead of from a concern for showing off or annoying people? This latter concern is what really fuels conspiracy theorists and others. They know it's nuts, but it gets attention without too much effort. (I was going to quote and link to some examples, but there's so much of it out there that my choice could seem a bit unfair.)

— posted by P | at 7:28 AM | |

Monday, March 17, 2003

· Put succinctly, in the words of Nikolai Zlobin:

The difference in the American and European approaches, Zlobin said, is that "the Europeans look at the process, at Iraq's willingness to cooperate, while the US demands the fulfillment of the resolution, looking at the end result".

He regards the U.S. as having won a major ideological battle, and sees little cause for concern in future U.S.-Russia relations.

— posted by P | at 9:43 AM | |

· Peace and Love, Man: Nobody alerted me to the real message of Oliver Stone's Platoon; I had to watch the whole movie myself. Of course I've seen bits of it with the sound off. The last time I had a look at it I was impressed by the slowness of the F-4 at the very climax, creeping overhead at a leisurely 30 knots or so, and also by the fact that the Charlie Sheen character survives what appears to be a direct hit by napalm as if it were no more than fairy dust: he wakes up the next morning among withered jungle foliage with mud on his face.

The real message is that marijuana is good and alochol is bad. The kindly sergeant (Willem Dafoe), who helps newbies pack their gear and stops the killing of innocents, likes to smoke. In the friendly hogo of the dopers' bunker even racial differences are forgotten as white and black dance together to the tunes of Greatest Vietnam Hits. He, of course, gets shot by the bad sergeant (Tom Berenger), who swigs beer, hangs out with rednecks, and shoots Vietnamese women. The bad sergeant also has big scars all over his chubby face and (we may infer) probably likes the wrong kind of music. Willem Dafoe, on the other hand, is a Christ-like figure: he gets the full slo-mo death with arms outstretched as if on the cross.

At the end of the movie, Charlie Sheen explains that the troops were really fighting against each other. And you can see that now. A clash of popular culture.

— posted by P | at 9:29 AM | |

Thursday, March 13, 2003

· 76 Trombones Led the Big Parade ... Oh, I'm sorry, it's a slice of Americana: Brigham's General directory of Auburn, Weedsport, Port Byron, Union Springs, Aurora, Moravia and Cayuga ; and Business directory of Auburn, 1863 and 1864. Published by Wm. J. Moses of Auburn in 1863. And they paid for the printing by ads such as this one:

American Hotel : B. Ashby, Proprietor.
No. 141 Genesee Street, Auburn , N.Y.
"New fire proof Barn, with Stable accommodations for FORTY HORSES."

I think it would be interesting to—of course, most sci-fi treatments of time-travel are just stupid, but—it would be fun to visit Auburn, N.Y. around 1863. I have this book in my hands and it's in very good shape, because it must have been sitting in a box somewhere over the last century. Here's another ad:

Auburn City Bank Organized, 1853.
Capital, $200,000.
Augustus Howland, president.
Corner Genesee and North Streets, Auburn, N.Y.
Foreign Drafts Sold

I bet this Augustus Howland was exactly like Mr Drysdale on "Gilligan's Island". Or maybe Franklin Pangborn. Anyway, isn't that the perfect name for a banker in a small town? Augustus Howland? Can you come up with a better one?

— posted by P | at 8:02 AM | |

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

· M. Chirac is often characterised as a gaullist. What does that mean? Well, everyone remembers Charles De Gaulle's triumphant entry in France in WWII. Vive la France! Vive ... euh .. Etc! And where did he land? Juno Beach. And who made that possible, aside from viewers like you? Regina Rifles, Canadian Scottish Regiment, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, 1st Hussars, Royal Canadian Engineers and the 12th and 13th Field Regiments, Royal Canadian Artillery, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, the Regiment de la Chaudiere, the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, the Fort Garry Horse, supported by the 14th and 19th Field Regiments, ...

So that's who paved the way for De Gaulle.

And what did he do on his first visit to Canada, in 1968? Only encourage the Quécécois to separate from Canada.

— posted by P | at 2:07 PM | |

· I was watching tv the other evening and there was an ad for more tv shows. They were, in effect, alerting me to the fact that there was more tv to be watched. But I was already watching as much as I could.

The ad was exactly like every other current ad for more tv: Chris Franz, of NYPD Blue, is smirking and faintly nodding his head at the viewer. The name of the show is written on the screen. That's it.

It's advertising at its slackest: Here, fellow, this show's going to be on. They assume I'll have to watch it because it's there.

What Franz needs to do, if he's serious about me as a customer, is say: "Please watch my show. You'll like it. I promise it'll be exciting, with new stories. It's the greatest show on earth!!"

— posted by P | at 12:25 PM | |

· U.S. congressman Jim Moran said on 3 March:

If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this.

Joe Lieberman's response?

The comments made by Jim Moran recently were deeply offensive and morally wrong. Such sentiments are inconsistent with the ideals of tolerance and diversity upon which our nation was founded. Comments like these have no place in our public discourse.

I don't see the word "insane" in there.

— posted by P | at 10:50 AM | |

· Thinking back a little bit. Richard Nixon noted, in RN : the memoirs of Richard Nixon, that a Gallup poll late in January 1970 showed "65 percent of the nation approved of my handling of Vietnam". (p. 445). (Of course that was before the bombing of Cambodia, which was to become a big antiwar cause, even though it was common sense.)

— posted by P | at 6:26 AM | |

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

· The problem with historical parallels is that the present isn't really parallel to the past. Change the metaphor if you want: the fact remains that we are missing some vital information when we mull over the immediate future. That's why I don't buy lottery tickets, even though people no different from me keep winning millions of dollars. Or, as Kierkegaard said, "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards". However, some situations throughout history are no doubt similar. The question is, how similar? In how many specifics?

Does Saddam Hussein resemble Hitler? Yes. Has he killed millions of people? Yes. Is he poised to annex the Sudetenland? No. Has he been successful in invading neighbouring countries? No. Has he received help from the U.S. in invading a neighbouring country? Yes. Is refusing to agree to invade Iraq the same thing , even remotely, as turning a blind eye to Hitler's snapping up Czechoslovakia? Not quite.

So what do we have here? A mixed bag, I'm afraid. I don't see how you can squeeze any of this into a parallel, even of the roughest sort.

One final thing, which may seem dismaying but is, nevertheless, so: Did the Allies fight Hitler in order to rescue his victims? No. They did it in order to save themselves. And this is a fairly good reason for invading Iraq, and the only real one: to prevent further outrages such as 9/11 through better control over events in the Middle East. This means replacing Hussein's regime entirely. Disarming him effectively, and forever, is just not possible, and therefore irrelevant. Even deposing Hussein is only the first step in the complicated process of gaining some sort of order and safety in the Middle East.

This may seem a cynical, unromantic view, but it's not. Assessed for what it is, the project is necessary and perfectly honorable. Therefore whipping everyone into a frenzy over imaginary reasons for war—or being less than candid about the matter—only creates confusion for the undecided, and this plays into the hands of antiwar groups of every kind. Ultimately it helps Saddam Hussein.

Somebody who also reminds me of Hussein: Mithradates VI. He lived not far from modern Iraq, he had the loyalty of fierce tribesmen (it is said that he could speak 20 languages), he used to dose himself with small amounts of different poisons in order to be immune to them, he caused the Romans enough trouble to provoke three wars—of which the first and third were the really important ones—and, as the poet said, "he died old." His son rebelled against him and, embittered and frustrated, he poisoned himself and died. I don't think Hitler had any sons. Anyway, you can read more in Cicero's Pro Lege Manilia. Read the whole thing.

— posted by P | at 10:20 PM | |

Wednesday, March 05, 2003

· Ever wonder how doctors went about committing someone to the insane asylum in 1863? Here's a sample form, printed in the Fifth Report of the Medical Superindendent at the Provincial Hospital for the Insane, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1863.

I, the undersigned _________________ , being (here state the qualification, as Graduate, Licentiate, or both,) and in actual practice, hereby certify that I, on the ____ day of ________ 18__, at (locality) in (town or county), personally examined _______________ of (here state residence of patient, and occupation, if any,) and that the said _______________ is a person of unsound mind, and a proper person to be taken charge of, and detained, under care and treatment; and that I have formed this opinion upon the following grounds, viz.:
1. Facts indicating insanity observed by myself.
(No certificates are valid under the English law, unless these facts are stated.)
2. Other facts indicating insanity, communicated to me by others;
(State the information, and from whom).
(Signed)
Dated at ______________

This hospital can be seen today across the harbour in Dartmouth. It's a red-brick nightmare, sprawling on a hill, and still in use.

— posted by P | at 11:10 AM | |

Tuesday, March 04, 2003

· Years ago British journalists used to talk of "the man on the Clapham omnibus". They didn't mean some actual man who had his pulse on the finger of the nation and who kept an office on the Clapham omnibus, though; they meant popular sentiment, or the average Englishman's view of something. It was a metaphor.

Yet the CBC (and others) persist in thinking it worthwhile to go out on the streets and just ask random individuals what they think about something, as if that might tell you what most people think. They plan on performing this meaningless act in London, so that (as promised in today's teaser) we may know just how "Britain" opposes the upcoming U.S.-Iraq conflict. In other words, they plan on boarding the Clapham omnibus and buttonholing a few passengers, in search of the mythical Man.

Is it necessary to point out that talking to ten people on Oxford Street and then broadasting four of the interviews is completely futile, if not misleading?

It's clear to me that most normal people don't talk to journalists. I myself was accosted a few years ago by local CBC operatives, and gave the following interview:

CBC: Can I ask you a few a questions about what impact you feel the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has had on local business?

Me: No; I am busy. Go away."

— posted by P | at 12:05 PM | |

· Having seen the new "Doctor Zhivago", I have to say I wish the producers had screwed up their courage and made a proper weekly prime-time soaper. That's what tv is for. The small screen doesn't encourage attempts to make something visually coherent and interesting. This is what David Lean tried to do, since he had probably gone to the trouble of reading Pasternak and knew that the poet had an indefatigable eye (and ear) for nature. This is apparent in My Sister Life and Doctor Zhivago, but not so much in the "Poems of Yuri Zhivago". It is an important novel, but I'm not sure of what sort. Sometimes I think he wrote it merely to get a foreign audience for his poems and, possibly, his country's predicament.

Judging by this new effort, Russia was a bilingual country at that period; Zhivago and his wife speak received standard, but Lara and the funkier characters either speak Russian, out of camera range, or have noticeable Russian accents.

Our score is predictably of the Gypsy restaurant variety, with an admixture of that soft feminine wailing made popular by "Blackhawk Down" and innumerable mystical Oirish movies. I rather doubt that Zhivago (or Pasternak) would have had popular peasant tunes of the day running through his head, since they didn't have radio to contend with then, Scriabin was a family friend, and Pasternak himself considered becoming a composer.

All this is, I think, evidence of some sort of romantic British sensibility which tempers any treatment of Russia or Arabia, or any sufficiently exotic place. It's understandable, but it makes something which is profoundly interesting far less interesting.

· You've only got $60.00 to spend. Which do you buy: The Oxford Book of Penguin Books of Things? or The Penguin Book of Oxford Books of Things?

— posted by P | at 6:07 AM | |

Monday, March 03, 2003

· I don't really care for highlighting. The other day I was reading a book that someone had done a real job on. Just about every paragraph was highlighted. How could 80% of the text be so much more significant than the rest that it would need to be highlighted? I suppose the person who did this was thinking, "Now, when I re-read this text—I must not, not be fooled into spending too much time on the acknowledgements and preface and whatnot". This activity, this business of flagging things (or writing yourself sticky-notes) is subject to the law of diminishing returns. The more of them you have, etc. Why not just read the whole darn book with the same attention (and not mark it up like some sort of baby)? So I skipped all the highlighted stuff and read only the few unhighlighted sentences. Managed to get through the whole thing in half an hour.

— posted by P | at 12:18 PM | |