Am I the last literate person alive to discover The Proust Questionnaire? Having stumbled on a reference today, I see it is (and has been) everywhere for a long time. If you, too, have had your head buried in a different book, here is a little background, abbreviated from Wikipedia. […]
These were sent to me by Pat Shaunessy, a fellow ex-pat from Philadelphia now living in Toronto. I asked Pat for an attribution. She says, “my pals have indicated that the message has gone through many evolutions and bcc’s so the origin can’t be traced.” I trust I am not […]
No time for a full post at the moment, as we are enjoying full days on the Sub-Continent, but I wanted to share this excellent piece with you: a little food for thought! (with thanks to James Harbeck at Word Tasting Notes) http://sesquiotic.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/mulligatawny/
July 20, 1776 Mr. Thomas Jefferson Continental Congress Independence Hall Philadelphia, Pa. Dear Mr. Jefferson: We have read your “Declaration of Independence” with great interest. Certainly, it represents a considerable undertaking, and many of your statements do merit serious consideration. Unfortunately, the Declaration as a whole fails to meet recently […]
Rick Phillips and Ann Kirkland hope you will join them this fall for Sachertorte and Paprikash: Musical Meanderings Along the Blue Danube, September 27 – October 7, 2011. Every Classical Pursuits trip offers the opportunity not only to enjoy the music, art and other cultural aspects of our destination, but also […]
An oil painting of 100 historical personages is one of the Internet’s newest sensations. Figures ranging from Fidel Castro to Shirley Temple are depicted in the large-scale 20′ x 8.5′ (6m x 2.6m) oil painting entitled “Discussing the Divine Comedy With Dante.” The painting also includes world landmarks like the […]
Do you text? Have you even heard “to text’ used as a verb? I confess that I find this emerging language both undecipherable and unpleasing. A typical text exchange: JW U ZZZ IWYWH G2G? W/E GAL Translation: “Just wondering how you are.” “ Bored and tired.” “I wonder whether […]
I received a blog comment from Robert Anderson of Los Angeles. To manage the hard times during his daughter’s grave illness, he created a model kit for Monticello, the extraordinary home Thomas Jefferson designed for himself in Charlottesville, Virginia. Anderson created a 1/100th scale paper model of Monticello desgned from the measured […]
In the immediate wake of the Academy Awards, it is interesting to note that it was not only King George VI who struggled with public oratory. For all his writing skill, Thomas Jefferson did not deliver most of his speeches aloud. That’s right – the eloquent statesman who penned the […]
I’M SENDING MY BRAIN TO BOOTCAMPby Robin Roger Published in the Globe and Mail, February 15, 2011 A few years ago, I read The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge and embraced the neuroplastician’s credo: Use it or lose it. Since then I have devoted myself to a […]