Ronald Tobias (professor, writer and documentary filmmaker) once wrote a book describing how the story lines of all novels, plays and movies fall into one of twenty Master Plots. It’s an interesting idea, one that has taken root in many literature classes and book club discussions. Here is Tobias’ list. 1. Quest2. Adventure3. Pursuit4. Rescue5….
The photograph at left is an unfamiliar look at a very familiar 20th Century author. It is J.R.R. Tolkien, taken when he was a second lieutenant in the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers. A rather dashing fellow, what? Anyhow, from an old New York Times I came across, here’s a rather gentle trivia quiz to test your knowledge of…
1) “The West is facing an Islamic holy war. Governments and the public alike persist in a state of lethal timidity and denial, but they must start connecting the dots.” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service) From the article — What was most mind-blowing, she said, was the revelation from 1993 when the FBI wiretapped Hamas members in…
On Wednesday and Thursday Claire and I were down in Wichita to see my little sister, Sherry. Her dementia, along with her overall health condition, continues to worsen and communication between us now is quite limited. But she remains my sweet little sister and every moment we can share is precious…as is every memory, every…
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray’s case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong…
* “Too many Democrats: On the real problem in Washington” (James Piereson, The New Criterion) From the article — onald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency is turning over the rocks in the nation’s capital, every day revealing some ridiculous federal expenditure for DEI programs in Serbia, LGBTQ+ comic books in Guatemala, and climate programs everywhere. These abuses,…
This morning’s Vital Signs letter-writing party found 9 of us gathered around our dining room table and, after our regular 75-minute session, we had written over 50 cards and letters. Good job, guys! You’ll be able to see several of the letter recipients (and issues) as you read a few of the notes I randomly…
Note — I sent similar letters today to Prime Ministers Meloni (Italy), Orban (Hungary), Fico (Slovakia), and Milei (Argentina). ————— Dear Prime Minister Meloni, A group of Christian friends gets together every quarter for a letter-writing party. Yes, we have conversation and refreshments together. But it is a party with a serious purpose; namely, to…
Alas, the Notting Hill Napoleons, our unique and highly esteemed book club which enjoyed 30 years of reading classic works of fiction is no more. With changes in schedules, priorities, energy levels, and resident locations — one of our founding members lives in Florida now with two others living in heaven — we disbanded the…
* “Congressional Republicans Must Codify Trump’s Executive Orders To Make Them Permanent.” (Logan Washburn, Federalist) From the article — Executive orders can simply be reversed — which can be good, since this is what allowed Trump to undo former President Joe Biden’s executive orders like the one that turned federal agencies into Democrat get-out-the-vote machines. But many…
