Monday, September 30, 2002


Every Picture Tells a Story redux
Michael, I know, I know, I swore I would never look at another of Gil Elvgren’s paintings—they are simply too... posted by Friedrich at September 30, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Sunday, September 29, 2002


The Economics of Mozart
Michael Everyone knows the story of Mozart, the composer who was so childishly self-indulgent and self-destructive that, despite his immense... posted by Friedrich at September 29, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, September 28, 2002


Free Reads -- Oakeshott
Friedrich -- One of the greatest things I've ever read is now online, readable for free: Michael Oakeshott's "Rationalism in... posted by Michael at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Samuel Brittan
Friedrich -- Samuel Brittan, an impressive British econ commentator, writes about Stephen Pinker's brilliant new book "The Blank Slate," here.... posted by Michael at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Bye bye France redux
Michael Napoleon to Sartre: What Happened to France? You might be interested in what Saul Bellow had to say on... posted by Friedrich at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Non Negotiable Demands redux
Michael As you may recall, yesterday I decided to go see “Barbershop” on the theory that it was my duty... posted by Friedrich at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Bye bye France
Friedrich -- Some sociological phenomena seem to pass by completely unnoticed, and (for no good reason) I’d like take note... posted by Michael at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Amiri Baraka
Friedrich -- Amiri Baraka, the African-American who is poet laureate of New Jersey, has written a poem entitled "Somebody Blew... posted by Michael at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Porn 101
Friedrich -- In the Weekly Standard, Matt Labash looks at a series of how-to videotapes entitled Porn 101, here. A... posted by Michael at September 28, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Friday, September 27, 2002


If I Were an Editor 6 redux
I made a major breakthrough today in my technological evolution which made me think of your posting, "The E-book Revolution."... posted by Friedrich at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Fun With Flash
Friedrich -- In my amateurish way, I enjoy following commercial art: ads, book jackets, posters, etc. My current fave amateurish... posted by Michael at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Stereotypes redux
Friedrich -- As a fan of stereotypes, I often find life hard these days, what with all the stereotype-bashing that... posted by Michael at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Non Negotiable Demands
Michael Have you heard of the latest target of the P.C. Patrol? It is the movie "Barbershop", the number one... posted by Friedrich at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Cultureblogs
Friedrich -- Do you marvel, as I do, at the paucity of cultureblogs? Political blogs are everywhere you look, me-blogs... posted by Michael at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

New Lefty Ploy
Friedrich -- At a liberal-media-elite party I was for some reason asked to attend last night, I encountered a lefty... posted by Michael at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Art and Markets
Friedrich -- Many thanks for the fascinating rundown on the economics of the Elizabethan theater. Why don't art-history professors tell... posted by Michael at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Short Stuff
Michael Perhaps you noticed this in the Los Angeles Times of September 25: Alligator Bites Off Man’s Arm at Garden... posted by Friedrich at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

New Godard Redux
Michael I must publicly praise your Godard piece. It was better than I hoped, and I was hoping for a... posted by Friedrich at September 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, September 26, 2002


New Godard
Herr Doktor Friedrich Thanks for nagging me into catching the new Godard, “In Praise of Love.” I had two completely... posted by Michael at September 26, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Short Stuff 3
Michael In the New York Time's World Briefing of September 26: GREENLAND: U.S. TO RETURN A TOWN You know, you... posted by Friedrich at September 26, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 25, 2002


Economic History of Shakespeare
Michael Given my previous discussion of cities and their artistic “golden ages,” I thought it might be entertaining to look... posted by Friedrich at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (3) comments

Hollywoodize Yourself
Friedrich -- If you have a snapshot and 25 bucks, you can be the star of your own George Hurrell... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

NEA Smackdown
Friedrich -- A reader from rural Arkansas responds to a comment I made a while back about how much I'd... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Glenn Gould
Friedrich -- Arts & Letters Daily, pointing out that the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould would have turned 70 today, includes... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (5) comments

Free Reads -- Barnes Foundation
Friedrich -- What in the world is really going on at the Barnes Foundation (website here)? The great art collection,... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Walter Williams
Friedrich -- Week after week, Walter Williams makes succinct, snappy cases for libertarian positions. This week, here, he examines what's... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Scruton on Islam
Friedrich -- The brilliant Roger Scruton has a book on Islam and the west coming out shortly, onsale at Amazon... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Short Stuff-2
Michael In the September 25 Wall Street Journal, a headline: Mexico's Crusade to End Corruption Stalls Government Sure, pick on... posted by Friedrich at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Maybe We Need a Sports Page
Michael My wife is a fanatical tennis player, and as a result we have lots of tennis-oriented publications laying around,... posted by Friedrich at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thong World
Friedrich -- Are you as amazed as I am by the culture's embrace of the thong? I’m surprised I haven’t... posted by Michael at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Tuesday, September 24, 2002


Adrian Lyne
Friedrich -- A hundred years ago, when I was an even bigger hick than I am now, and I loved... posted by Michael at September 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Every Picture Tells A Story
Michael When I went to lunch today I lost my head and took not only one but two books with... posted by Friedrich at September 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Short stuff
Michael, I noticed the following item in the Wall Street Journal's "What's News" column for September 24: Dole shares surged... posted by Friedrich at September 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Crunchy Cons rereredux
Friedrich -- Before letting go of the subject, can I point out a few things that I value in Rod... posted by Michael at September 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Social History of Advertising
Michael I believe you once expressed the opinion that advertising was the true offspring of the traditional visual arts, serving... posted by Friedrich at September 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Sunday, September 22, 2002


If I Were an Editor 6
Friedrich -- If I were an editor, I'd commission a piece on the theme of: "The E-book Revolution Is Over,... posted by Michael at September 22, 2002 | perma-link | (2) comments

Saturday, September 21, 2002


A Good Day's Handwringing redux
Michael Thanks for the tip regarding Robert Fulford's article in Canada's National Post. He examines how universities neglect what the... posted by Friedrich at September 21, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Conservatives and Art reredux
Friedrich -- A political scientist writes in to remind us that the two strongest grassroots constituencies for the Republican party... posted by Michael at September 21, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Women's Mags
Friedrich -- The magazine industry is going through what many say is its worst period in decades. All sectors are... posted by Michael at September 21, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Crunchy Cons, Reredux
Michael I got around to checking out the on-line version of "Granola Conservatives" by the National Review’s Rod Dreher which... posted by Friedrich at September 21, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Film vs. Digital, rerereredux
Friedrich -- A conversation in ICG between the cinematographers Bill Bennett, David Darby and Allen Daviau, here. (It's a site... posted by Michael at September 21, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, September 20, 2002


Time-stopping Redux
Michael Did you know there is a whole niche of er, erotic literature called "time stopping?" I'd tell you more... posted by Friedrich at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Currin Redux
Friedrich -- Thanks for tipping me off to John Currin. I enjoyed the interview with him that you linked to.... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Gombrich Redux
Friedrich -- I think you're really onto something when you bring Gombrich and evo-bio together. They're both useful; they both... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Crunchy Cons, Reredux
Friedrich -- The debate over how to handle environmental challenges is a good one. (You go, free-market environmentalists, as far... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Crunchy Cons, redux
Michael My problem as a right-wing Neanderthal is not with “tree huggers” or environmentalism per se. My difficulty is with... posted by Friedrich at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Crunchy Cons
Friedrich -- The National Review this week runs a good Rod Dreher cover piece on "Granola Conservatives." It isn't online,... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Helpful Movie Ratings
Friedrich -- You know the little ratings boxes that run in the lower lefthand corner of movie ads? When did... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Artist's Quote of the Day
Michael I found a great interview with John Currin, one of my favorite contemporary painters: You can find it in... posted by Friedrich at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Times Arts Frownlines 10
Friedrich -- The Friday New York Times includes two arts sections, one about movies and theater, the other about what... posted by Michael at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Cultural Evolution
Michael I was reading “The Image & The Eye” by E. H. Gombrich last night and stumbled across what may... posted by Friedrich at September 20, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, September 19, 2002


The Oldenburg Story, Part II
Michael Have you heard of bad boy Belgian artist Wim Delvoye? He’s a sort of a latter-day Claes Oldenburg, but... posted by Friedrich at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

No Respect for L.A.
Michael As a Southern Californian, I am indignant that so little attention was ever paid to Translating L.A.: A Tour... posted by Friedrich at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- L.A. Cathedral Redux
Friedrich -- Paul Goldberger of the New Yorker reacts to the new, Rafael Moneo-designed, Our Lady of the Angels cathedral... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Policy Break: News Flash--Socialism Corrupts
Michael In the September 19, 2002 Wall Street Journal, leftist Albert R. Hunt in his column “Politics and People” notes... posted by Friedrich at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Sullivan on Sontag
Friedrich -- Andrew Sullivan takes on a Susan Sontag op-ed piece, and demonstrates what a ditzy sillikins she really is,... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Kors
Friedrich -- Two professors, Alan Charles Kors and Harvey Silverglate, have formed an outfit called the Foundation for Individual Rights... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Freund
Friedrich -- Eakins' "Four-in-Hand": Photoshopped? Charles Paul Freund of Reason magazine has been doing some venturesome thinking and writing about... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Homeland Security
Friedrich -- National Review talks to Michelle Malkin about why the term "Homeland Security" is currently a joke, here. Malkin... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Pauline Kael
Friedrich -- WNYC interviews Slate's David Edelstein and the screenwriter Robert Towne about their late friend, the film critic Pauline... posted by Michael at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Wednesday, September 18, 2002


Policy Break: Learning from Athens
Michael Donald Kagan, in his Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, describes a key element in the success... posted by Friedrich at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

You Want Us
Friedrich -- I'm collecting the Google searches that have led surfers to this site. Here are some favorites so far:... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Genetics of Maleness
Friedrich -- In the Observer, Sean O'Hagan interviews geneticist Steve Jones on the topic of what scientists know about maleness,... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Modern Poetry Redux
Michael There you go again, making me read poetry. I thought I was over that, but your posting on “Modern... posted by Friedrich at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Joshua Muravchik
Friedrich -- For a few years I've been boring Wife and friends with my theory that modern art, Marxism, Freudianism,... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Rape in Australia
Friedrich -- Two years ago, over the course of several months, gangs of Muslim boys raped seven Australian teen girls... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Times Arts Frownlines 9
Friedrich -- Headlines from the front page of today's NYTimes' Arts section: * China is Warming to Hollywood's Glow *... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Andres Duany
Friedrich -- American Enterprise magazine runs a good interview with Andres Duany, one of the ringleaders of the New Urbanism,... posted by Michael at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, September 17, 2002


A Good Day’s Hand Wringing
Michael From his piece in today’s New York Times Op-Ed pages, we learn that Richard R. Beeman, dean of the... posted by Friedrich at September 17, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Policy Break: The Iraqi Chessboard
Michael According to a NY Times editorial for September 17 on “The Iraqi Chessboard,” Saddam’s unconditional offer to allow U.N.... posted by Friedrich at September 17, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Search Engines
Michael Since our blog seems to be developing into a tribute site to Euan Uglow,I went web-surfing and found some... posted by Friedrich at September 17, 2002 | perma-link | (2) comments

Monday, September 16, 2002


Times Arts Frownlines 8
Friedrich -- In case you enjoyed yourself too much over the weekend, Monday's NYTimes Arts section is here to wave... posted by Michael at September 16, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Modern Poetry
Friedrich -- I spent my walking-around-the-city time over the last few days listening to poetry audiotapes: Robert Lowell, Randall Jarrell,... posted by Michael at September 16, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Saturday, September 14, 2002


Free Reads -- Adorno Redux
Friedrich -- Knowing what an Adorno fan you are, I'm passing along this Edward Rothstein piece in the NYTimes about... posted by Michael at September 14, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- New Webzine
Friedrich -- "The Mixture," a slick new online magazine with much to offer multimedia-wise, here. Don't miss the video footage... posted by Michael at September 14, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Funny Bloggers
Friedrich -- Though no longer totally new to bloggerdom, I continue to be amazed by the number of smart, funny,... posted by Michael at September 14, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Uglow Model
Friedrich -- From an online talk with Lisa Coleman, an English actress, about working as a nude model for the... posted by Michael at September 14, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, September 13, 2002


Free Reads -- L.A. Cathedral
Friedrich -- Michael S. Rose has come out swinging against contemporary church architecture. (About time someone finally took that fight... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

If I Were an Editor 5
Friedrich -- If I were the editor of a book-review section, I'd provide coverage and reviews of the usual, but... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Pontormo and Ingres
Michael I just got a new book on Pontormo (Jacopo Carrucci), the Florentine Mannerist. As I went through it, I... posted by Friedrich at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Alan Ayckbourn
Friedrich -- The Telegraph runs a brief but amusing excerpt from playwright Alan Ayckbourn's new book "The Crafty Art of... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Media Overload
Friedrich -- The book I finished last night I got free; the audiobook I listened to this morning also came... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Times Arts Frownlines 7
Friedrich -- Headlines from the front page of today's NYT "Weekend" (ie., popular arts) section: * Mob Life Resumes, Darker... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Jealousy of America
Michael I was sitting in the food court at a local mall yesterday, eating lunch while pondering European and Middle... posted by Friedrich at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (13) comments

Free Reads -- Michelle Malkin
Friedrich -- Michelle Malkin's been doing a bang-up job of covering how lax the U.S. can be about policing its... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reading -- Random Jottings
Michael All Friends of Truth and Humor! Ye must check out "Random Jottings: A weblog by John Weidner," here --... posted by Friedrich at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, September 12, 2002


Free Reads -- Steven Pinker
Friedrich -- The ever-resourceful Arts and Letters Daily (here) points out a long q&a with Steven Pinker, here. Have you... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Kapuscinski
Friedrich -- I just finished making my way through Ryszard Kapuscinski's "The Shadow of the Sun." Have you read him?... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Europe vs. America
Michael Somewhat to my surprise, there is an excellent piece in the September issue of Harper's, entitled "Le Divorce: Do... posted by Friedrich at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- immigration
Friedrich -- Lawrence Auster over at View from the Right has a posting about anti-Jewish riots in Montreal, the rioters... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Artistic Problems
Michael In my posting, "Godard redux," I referred, rather mysteriously, to the concept that art needs sustained engagement with artistically... posted by Friedrich at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Spy Novels
Friedrich -- Do you have any patience with the spy-novel genre? I keep giving it a try, as though one... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (3) comments

Times Arts Frownlines 6
Friedrich -- More headlines from the NYTimes' Arts section that'll set your pulse racing with anticipation. On the front page:... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Policy Break -- Legal System Redux
Michael In today's Wall Street Journal there's a priceless nugget: One county [in Mississippi] popular with forum-shopping trial lawyers has... posted by Friedrich at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Pygmy Negritos
Friedrich -- Steve Sailer talks with George Weber, a Swiss businessman who's knowledgeable about the Pygmy Negritos of the Andaman... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 11, 2002


Nietzsche
Michael I haven't spent a whole lot of time on Nietzsche lately myself, although from time to time I have... posted by Friedrich at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

New Classicists
Friedrich -- Robert Adam's Sackler Library at Oxford If you're interested in the New Classicism, here are some treats. First,... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Catesby Leigh
Friedrich -- One of the most interesting developments in architecture in recent years has been the resurgence of classical (not... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Terry Teachout
Friedrich -- Terry Teachout meditates for Commentary magazine on the future of recorded music, here. Sample passage: In the not-so-long... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Colored Prints
Friedrich -- I had no idea that Renaissance prints were often hand-colored, or colored at all. Did you? The Baltimore... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Media Bitch
Friedrich -- Good lord. Here's the publicity copy for a book Morrow will be bringing out later this month. Girl... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Godard redux
Michael In your posting Walter Hill redux you remark: "I can't think of another filmmaker so talented whose work has... posted by Friedrich at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Ashley reredux
Friedrich -- Why we love actresses, part 742: A page of links to interviews with Ashley Judd, here. She's a... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Movies -- Xxx
Friedrich -- Today (a hot one) the Wife and I went to the multiplex in seach of good air conditioning... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, September 10, 2002


Walter Hill redux
Friedrich -- Thanks for the Walter Hill update. I'm not exactly surprised "Undisputed" is a turkey. I remember how exciting... posted by Michael at September 10, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Schopenhauer redux
Friedrich -- Glad to hear you're enjoying Schopenhauer. I'm no Schopey scholar, but I've loved what I've read: grimly (but... posted by Michael at September 10, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Walter Hill
Michael I made a rather discouraging pilgrimage to a local multiplex last night. I went to see "Undisputed," a film... posted by Friedrich at September 10, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, September 7, 2002


Taboo
Friedrich -- We marvel at the way people deprived of traditional religion will promptly start believing (and in a religious... posted by Michael at September 7, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, September 6, 2002


Free Reads -- Toby Young
Friedrich -- Toby Young, who has written a book about his years trying and failing to make it in the... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

If I Were an Editor 4
Friedrich -- I've said it before, and you can be sure I'll say it again: if I were an editor,... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Prissy Art Classes Redux
Michael I was looking at a book I picked up on vacation, "Realism in 20th Century Painting" by Brendan Prendeville.... posted by Friedrich at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Godard
Michael A long time ago I sent you my musings on having seen "Band of Outsiders." In it I ventured... posted by Friedrich at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

If I Were an Editor 3
Friedrich -- If I were an editor, I'd run lots of pieces about the impact of evolutionary biology (and evo-psych)... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Amazon Humorist Redux
Michael Your posting "Amazon Humorist" reminds me of a Mark Twain story. On a speaking tour, Mark Twain was introduced... posted by Friedrich at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Amazon Humorist
Friedrich -- A reviewer on Amazon who uses the "Amazon Reader's Comment" form as a comedy vehicle, here. Plus, he's... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Policy Break -- Continuum, Reredux
Friedrich -- In our different ways we're both nibbling around the edges of an irksome question. Setup: Given that politics,... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Policy Break -- Continuum, Redux
Michael You ask a question about matters, as the Buddha remarked, which are truly questionable. I too have extreme doubts... posted by Friedrich at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

The Mind, Part 7,342,941
Friedrich -- Another sensible science column by Sharon Begley in the Wall Street Journal, again, unfortunately, unavailable online. This one's... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

America the Goofy
Friedrich -- Priceless Americana, here. I ran across the above via another blogger, but I can't credit him/her because I... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, September 5, 2002


Policy Break -- Continuum
Friedrich -- I notice that Jim Kalb at "View From the Right" has a good "What Is Conservatism" essay, here.... posted by Michael at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Prissy Art Classes
Friedrich -- Snappy work! John Singer Sargent, watch out. More artists should start making use of JPEGs, blogs and email... posted by Michael at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Mein Own Art
Michael I tried out your idea of shooting some art with an electronic camera over the weekend. Following are three... posted by Friedrich at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Bebe, Musicals
Michael I saw a production of "Chicago" in London, but Bebe wasn't in it. Some German chick was the star.... posted by Friedrich at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Columnist Shootout
Friedrich -- After much enjoyably self-important mulling and musing, I’ve decided that the best journalistic essayists now writing are John... posted by Michael at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Rightwing Babes
Michael Eyeball the Republican Babe of the Week, here. Very cheerful, Friedrich... posted by Friedrich at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Schopenhauer
Michael Have you ever read any Schopenhauer? I happened on this bizarre website called "Frownland: Pessimists speaking the truth," here.,... posted by Friedrich at September 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 4, 2002


Policy Break -- Social Security
Michael Are you nervous about the future of Social Security? As an aging boomer with my stock portfolio in the... posted by Friedrich at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Nozick
Friedrich -- I just ran across this: an interview the blogger Julian Sanchez did with the libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Surf's Up
Friedrich -- The Wife and I drove by a surfing beach recently. There were a few gals on surfboards and... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Movies -- Sweetest Thing
Friedrich -- The Wife and I caught up with “The Sweetest Thing”on DVD. Have you seen it? A painful misfire.... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Videobooks
Friedrich -- More evidence (I learn slow) that TV is the center of the culture: on the cover of Book... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Bebe
Friedrich -- Reasons to love actresses, part 326: a cute interview with Bebe Neuwirth in the Telegraph, here. Sample: "A... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

More from "Intellectuals"
Michael I can't resist posting another excerpt from Paul Johnson's "Intellectuals"--again on Marx. Why Are You Resisting My Theories? Chapter... posted by Friedrich at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Times Arts Frownlines 5
Friedrich -- Another enticing front-page-of-the-NYTimes-arts-section headline: * "London Stage, a Social Mirror" Well, I'm sure curious to find out more!... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, September 3, 2002


The Big Picture, Derbyshire Style & TV Into Movies redux
Michael As regards "alternative consciousness" and "art," one small anecdote: When I was in my late twenties, I was in... posted by Friedrich at September 3, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Movies -- Greenaway
Friedrich -- My Sadist-within ran away with me last night (it happens occasionally), and I made the wife sit through... posted by Michael at September 3, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

And That's Putting It Mildly
Friedrich -- From the British magazine Philosophy Today: The death of man, the death of the subject and the death... posted by Michael at September 3, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, September 2, 2002


Readers and Writers
Friedrich -- A novelist friend who teaches creative writing at a local college tells me that she recently mentioned William... posted by Michael at September 2, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Sunday, September 1, 2002


If I Were an Editor 2
Friedrich -- If I were an editor, I'd run a cover story about today's 20somethings, focusing on looks and attitudes.... posted by Michael at September 1, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

When Harry Met Alfonso
Friedrich -- It's just been announced that the third "Harry Potter" movie will be directed by Alfonso ("Y Tu Mama")... posted by Michael at September 1, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Movies -- "Crush," Wong
Friedrich -- I recently watched the chicks-surf-too movie "Blue Crush," and then a few days later watched (on DVD) Wong... posted by Michael at September 1, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments