Monthly Archives: January 2007

ROMAN MATRONS BEHAVING BADLY.

Posted on January 21, 2007 by Philip

ROMAN MATRONS BEHAVING BADLY. Our family is enjoying the new season of ROME on HBO (second episode tonight). The story is wonderfully told. It portrays how competent Roman soldiers were, what wonderful killing machines. The character of Augustus is convincing, … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 2 Comments

BERTRAND RUSSELL WAS A BAD MAN.

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Philip

BERTRAND RUSSELL WAS A BAD MAN. Reading this review of a new book about the poetry of T.S.Eliot, I was reminded of what a bad man Bertrand Russell was. T.S. Eliot and his bride were both shy and sexually inexperienced … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 1 Comment

THE PURCHASING POWER OF THE WELL OFF.

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Philip

THE PURCHASING POWER OF THE WELL OFF. A glance at the list of most e mailed stories in the New York Times will usually reflect the upscale nature of the Times’s target audience. (That audience is nothing like the target … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

SAINT AGNES’ EVE

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Philip

SAINT AGNES’ EVE. Ah, bitter chill it was!

Posted in Literature | 3 Comments

JONATHAN LEAF, THE GERMANS IN PARIS.

Posted on January 19, 2007 by Philip

JONATHAN LEAF, THE GERMANS IN PARIS. We had the good fortune to see THE GERMANS IN PARIS in New York. We had seen Leaf’s PUSHKIN earlier and are eager to see anything he writes. Terry Teachout gave THE GERMANS IN … Continue reading →

Posted in Theater | 2 Comments

MY EXPERIENCE WITH MOVIE PALACES.

Posted on January 19, 2007 by Philip

MY EXPERIENCE WITH MOVIE PALACES. David Denby loved the movie-going experience in the beautiful movie palaces of the past. I realized in reading the article how little I am influenced by the movie theater in which I watch a movie. … Continue reading →

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THEATER TAKES PLACE IN THE AUDIENCE’S IMAGINATION.

Posted on January 18, 2007 by Philip

THEATER TAKES PLACE IN THE AUDIENCE’S IMAGINATION. Theater audiences routinely make the imaginative leap that there is no fourth wall and and the imaginative leap that what they see is actually happening. They also willingly correct for imperfect special effects … Continue reading →

Posted in Theater | 3 Comments

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

Posted on January 17, 2007 by Philip

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS. Yesterday’s Wall St. Journal had a column by Jared Sandberg about the importance in the business world of managing expectations. The lawyers I worked with used to chuckle at a colleague who was always moaning about how an … Continue reading →

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MOVIES TAKE PLACE IN THE AUDIENCE’S IMAGINATION.

Posted on January 16, 2007 by Philip

MOVIES TAKE PLACE IN THE AUDIENCE’S IMAGINATION. David Denby has an interesting article in the New Yorker about the changes that are taking place in movie media. He describes himself as one of the “fervent believers in the theatrical experience” … Continue reading →

Posted in Theater | 1 Comment

PROUST AND HAPPINESS PSYCHOLOGY.

Posted on January 15, 2007 by Philip

PROUST AND HAPPINESS PSYCHOLOGY. Marcel Proust claimed that he was propounding scientific laws, comparing a writer seeking psychological laws to a surgeon. Reading about what behavioral psychologists have found out in Daniel Gilbert’s STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS, I was struck by … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 3 Comments