“Let us always remember: That those who thought the world could be ruled by hate and fear were wrong. Our country did not let that dark vision of humanity stand. That vigilance is still required to protect and secure us. That we are one people—drawn from different religious, ethnic and national origins—but that we have been forged into an extraordinary whole. We are American.” *** The words above are from former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice’s concluding remarks to attendees at a 9/11 memorial observance at the Pentagon on Friday, where she shared the lectern and…
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So I’d been all week seeking some pathway out of the chaos and rancor, some mode of reconciling the angers, shoutings, the sneerings with the longings for some sense, some refuge of comity and just plain normal. A retreat to the shelves for daily visitations with old friends D.T. Suzuki and Thich Nhat Hanh. With my now broken-binded and discolored edition of “The Dhammapada,” supposedly the Buddha’s very own words, purchased in the University of Redlands bookstore on October 26, 1977 for the princely sum of $3.45. (The date had helpfully been stamped on the opening page.) Took an extended…
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One of the sneaky pleasures of this “Brilliant Cover Songs” series for me is that I get to immerse—and perhaps give you a first listen or re-introduction to—not only the cover version but the original, as well. And when we’re talking about such powerhouse musical forces as jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991) and the Spanish modern classical composer Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999), the pleasure is all the more enhanced and worthy of attention. The last time Davis appeared in this space was in a post a bit over three years ago that explored the question of how transcendent, soul-satisfying art so…
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Did you know that there’s a “Congressional Baking Caucus?” Two members, a Republican from Pennsylvania and a Democrat from North Carolina. Both male, in case you were wondering, projecting a vision of getting together now and again to advance the cause of bi-partisan scone-baking across our great land. There’s also a “Congressional Bourbon Caucus,” a “Congressional Bus Caucus,” a “Congressional Caucus on Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality Technologies,” a “Bipartisan Ski and Snowboard Caucus” (think Colorado, Utah and California!), a “Congressional Algae Caucus,” a “Congressional Ferry Caucus” (what, no equal time for a “Fairy Caucus?”), a “Congressional Chicken Caucus” (I’m…
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“Neruda, Reyes, Paz; Washington, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Paris, Geneva; Cervantes, Balzac, Rimbaud, Thomas Mann: only with all the shared languages, those of my places and friends and masters, was I able to approach the fire of literature and ask it for a few sparks.” So goes the conclusion of the lead essay by the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) in his 1988 collection, “Myself With Others.” That summary of places and names in “How I Started to Write” reflects but some of the currents that coursed always warm-bloodedly through Fuentes’s ever-restless intellectual life and the works…
