Monday, October 10, 2011

Lin Yutang: Oct. 10, 1895 to March 26, 1976

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Would a different attitude or perspective on life make this a better world? Certainly today's headlines should make us wonder if someth...
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Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Quatrain XLVI

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Edward FitzGerald elaborates on his reference to the "Game" in the previous quatrain. In this quatrain, he diminishes the huma...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Serendipity: more autumn poetry from China

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Listening to a Monk From Shu Playing the Lute The monk from Shu with his green lute-case walked Westward down Emei Shan , and at the so...
Sunday, October 2, 2011

Wallace Stevens: October 2, 1879 to August 2, 1955

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An intriguing poem by Wallace Stevens. Actually, I'm not sure what to make of it. The Silver Plough-Boy A black figure dances in a bl...
Friday, September 30, 2011

Li Po: Now and then, a glass of wine, or two or . . .

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Li Po (701 AD--762 AD) Drinking Alone In The Moonlight Number One Beneath the blossoms with a pot of wine, No friends at hand, so I poured...
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Confucius: Sept. 28, 551 BC (trad)--479 BC

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Some thoughts from the Master: "The Master said, 'At fifteen I set my heart on learning; at thirty I took my stand; at forty, I ...
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Monday, September 26, 2011

Some Autumn Thoughts

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from " The Preface " "Autumn is that season in between: not summer, though still somewhat like summer, and not winter, thou...
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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Joseph Wood Krutch: more from Baja California

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from Baja California "Even an amateur like myself will seldom lack something to see if he will only look. 'Lift up thine eyes un...
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Friday, September 23, 2011

Fall Equinox

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Like last year, the first day of autumn, or the Fall Equinox, doesn't seem much like fall here in Tucson, where the temperature is expec...
4 comments:
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

John Scalzi: Android's Dream, an SF novel

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John Scalzi ’s Android’s Dream Usually I select a book to read, excluding those chosen by a book discussion group that I belong to, on t...
Thursday, September 15, 2011

Basho: Sept. 15, 1644--Nov. 28, 1694

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As I had mentioned in an earlier post, September 15 is the traditional date given for Basho's birth. As it comes shortly before the Fal...
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Monday, September 12, 2011

Serendipity

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Since the Fall Equinox or the First Day of Fall is September 23 this year, less than two weeks from today, this poem seemed appropriate. Lat...
Sunday, September 11, 2011

Something to think about:

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109 "There are men of evil mind, who would make of everything a crime, and not because of passion, but just naturally. They condemn ev...
Saturday, September 3, 2011

Loren Eiseley: from The Immense Journey

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Loren Eiseley: Sept. 3, 1911--July 9, 1977 I have read many works in which the author discussed or lamented what is variously called the...
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Monday, August 29, 2011

John Fowles: from Wormholes

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I'm slowly working my way through John Fowles' collection of personal essays, literary criticism, memoirs, and other writings. The ...
Saturday, August 27, 2011

Weather Report

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Tucson, Arizona 3:26 MST Temperature: 108 F Humidity: 14% Heat Index: 105 F Vendor of bright fans Carryin...
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Friday, August 26, 2011

Michel de Montaigne: on Montaigne

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The following quotation is from Montaigne's Introduction to the first edition of his Essays . "To the Reader" This is ...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Serendipity

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One of the poet's favorite or at least one of the most frequent themes is death. I think Emily Dickinson wrote several hundred poems on...
Monday, August 22, 2011

Ray Bradbury: August 22, 1920,

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Spoiler Warning: I will discuss significant plot elements and events. Here are three short tales by Ray Bradbury, whose birthday w...
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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Kim Stanley Robinson: The Gold Coast

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Kim Stanley Robinson's The Gold Coast (TGC) is one of the three novels in what was first called "The Orange County" trilogy...