It looks like Dish Network is beginning to pull the plug on my service. It was supposed to happen in September but I still had service up until around noon today. I haven't lost all the channels yet, but I have lost most of them, including TCM. I won't be able to follow that series. The second episode was still okay. I don't think it was great, ( Read more... )

The opener was okay. I wouldn't call it great. It kind of gathered together bits of information that have been floating around. It didn't delve too deeply into things. It was interesting to see some of the old Edison movies. I didn't stay up for all of them, and some of them I have seen, as, indeed, they've been floating around for awhile. ( Read more... )

Next week TCM begins its series Moguls and Movie Stars, purportedly a history of Hollywood and the movie industry, although apparently the history of Hollywood won't begin until the week after next with the second episode, The Birth of Hollywood. It should be pretty interesting. I've noticed from the schedule the movies TCM will broadcast to ( Read more... )

Here is a good recipe for raw mock chicken salad (1). It's similar to the mock tuna salad that was part of the raw food potluck last night. I think the recipe for the dish last night used only sunflowers and a dressing made from ground mustard and lemon juice. One thing about raw food is you can play with recipes.

( Couldn't quite make out what Shumann's driving at )

The closest I've been getting to hiking is walking up to the university last Wednesday for the first of the L-Cubed series. I'll keep going to them as long as I have the time. As my Facebook friends know, I enjoyed TMCC's production of Into the Woods Friday night. Unfortunately I didn't find Psycho Beach Party Sunday afternoon as fun as it was at ( Read more... )

The calculation that lay at the heart of the New Labour project--that Labour could remain a significant political force even after abandoning its promises of reform, thanks to the backing of the financial oligarchy--now lies in ruins. The result of this strategy has been to finish off the Labour Party, once and for all.
--Chris MarsdenArtists, ( Read more... )

The weirdest writer I've encountered is H.R. Shapiro. Gore Vidal actually recommended his book Democracy in America around fifteen years ago. I gave it a try and have no idea how I made it through. Take a gander at his writing style (1 2 3). At that site his book is called USA: Total State, A Political History of the USA, 1789-1980s, but it's the ( Read more... )

Another raw food potluck last night. This one can be called smoothie night. Almost everyone brought some kind of smoothie. I didn't take notes and just naming the smoothie doesn't do it justice because raw food adherents are really into adding the so-called superfoods. But here are a few of the items shared. Jenn brought a green drink. In raw food ( Read more... )

One might have had the right until now to characterize much of Mann's work ... as a triumph of style, of a sort, and self-consciousness over substance. His heroes in particular have tended to be a bit too cool and controlled (and in control) for their or anyone else's good.
--David Walsh (17 November 1999 ( Read more... )

Way to go!

( And another thing )