Monthly Archives: June 2007

PASSPORT OFFICE INCOMPETENCE.

PASSPORT OFFICE INCOMPETENCE. My son Nick’s passport just arrived. His name is misspelled. His name is misspelled even though the passport office had his birth certificate. (How does that happen?) The passport office has a website with a frequently asked … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

DEAR CAST IRON FRIEND.

DEAR CAST IRON FRIEND. I linked yesterday to an excerpt from CAST IRON ARCHITECTURE IN AMERICA by Margot Gayle and Carol Gayle. While I lived in New York, I was a member of the Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture, which Margot … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture | 4 Comments

STEALING A GOLD BATHTUB; STEALING A BUILDING.

STEALING A GOLD BATHTUB; STEALING A BUILDING. The news for this week included a report that a gold bathtub weighing 170 pounds and worth almost a million dollars was stolen from a Japanese hotel. Police are mystified. This is a … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture | 10 Comments

DID SHAKESPEARE LOVE HIS WIFE?

DID SHAKESPEARE LOVE HIS WIFE? Stephen Greenblatt in WILL IN THE WORLD argues that Shakespeare did not. Greenblatt is bold and interesting throughout the book—bold because the hard information about Shakespeare’s life is scanty. Greenblatt generously gives information on both … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Shakespeare, Theater | 3 Comments

SHAKESPEARE SEASON.

SHAKESPEARE SEASON. Yesterday’s post on Shakespeare was partly suggested by the beginning of Shakespeare season. The set for the Shakespeare on the Sound production of COMEDY OF ERRORS has been going up down the hill two blocks from us. Shakespeare … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Shakespeare, Theater | 1 Comment

THE ROAR OF CICADAS.

THE ROAR OF CICADAS. An update from the Chicago Tribune on the seventeen-year cicadas in Chicago. There are three different species on the seventeen year cycle. The noise from their courtship songs can reach over 90 decibels (compared to the … Continue reading

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WHAT DID SHAKESPEARE THINK ABOUT WIVES?

WHAT DID SHAKESPEARE THINK ABOUT WIVES? Stephen Greenblatt argues in WILL IN THE WORLD (highly recommended) that Shakespeare had an unfavorable view of wives and marriage. He says that “in the great succession of comedies that Shakespeare wrote in the … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Shakespeare, Theater | 3 Comments

WHAT’S THE SCOUTING REPORT?

WHAT’S THE SCOUTING REPORT? I have been exposed to a lot of baseball announcers for different teams with the coming of satellite television. The standard is pretty high; most announcers are quite good. I had thought that the Detroit announcers … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Journalism, Sports | Leave a comment

JUNE 6, 1944.

JUNE 6, 1944. Three years ago there were a number of newspaper stories with interviews of D-Day veterans. One man spoke of seeing the Rangers in training in the United Kingdom. He was struck by their size and athleticism and … Continue reading

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GETTING THE QUOTE.

GETTING THE QUOTE. One of the effects of television on sports journalism has been an emphasis on clubhouse interviews rather than descriptions and analysis of what takes place on the field. Try to imagine music criticism which consisted of asking … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Sports | 1 Comment