Posts by Rob Stowell
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Death and Dickinson: was talking to my sister, a long-time lover of Dickinson's poems, and she set me straight on Dickinson's epitaph. On her gravestone, apparently, it simply says E D Called Back. To the point, but a little too close to ET :)
She did write a poem called Epitaph:Step lightly on this narrow spot!
The broadest land that grows
Is not so ample as the breast
These emerald seams enclose.Step lofty; for this name is told
As far as cannon dwell,
Or flag subsist, or fame export
Her deathless syllable.I always imagined her epitaph to be was the perfect first two lines of this poem (probably one of her best-known):
Because I could not stop for Death--
He kindly stopped for me--
The Carriage held but just Ourselves--
And Immortality.
We slowly drove--he knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For his Civility.
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess -- in the Ring --
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain --
We passed the Setting Sun --
Or rather -- He passed Us --
The Dews drew quivering and chill --
For only Gossamer, my Gown --
My Tippet -- only Tulle--
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground --
The Roof was scarcely visible --
The Cornice -- in the Ground --
Since then --'tis Centuries -- and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses Heads
Were toward Eternity --Perfect for a still afternoon, sitting in the winter sun, the frost hesitating in shady spots, the bellbirds letting out their slow, melancholy three-note afternoon call.
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Thanks Jolissa. That was wonderful.
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I did :) (At least close by)
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Not just Gio. I can't understand why you call it cheating. Sure, it's against the rules. In some circumstances, it's a free kick; here, it's (quite rightly) a red card and a penalty shot.
But cheating is breaking the rules and trying to get away without sanction (what McCaw does at the break-down...)
You're not allowed to punch another player, either. But if someone does that quite openly, you can call them stupid- and they deserve a red-card- but you'd be a little over-excited calling them a cheat. -
Yeah, what they said. If Ryan Nelsen had done it for the all-whites in that position, would you be thinking hero or zero?
I understand wanting Ghana to win- and feeling they wuz robbed. I felt it myself.
But they weren't just robbed- they did actually lose the game, too. Both missing the penalty, and in the shoot-out.
Hard, sure. But not so unfair, I think. -
I guess I don't get out much, 'cos the Chch schooling conversations seem a little over-egged. I suspect it matters a lot to a fairly small proportion of inhabitants.
And "Hi Paul" from another UoC inmate. Recently enjoyed the Baxter doco I think you wrote :) -
it depends on how fast the German players are allowed to run at them.
Yeah. But oooh. Aren't they fast!
I loved the midfield play: beautifully timed passes, razor sharp, sudden runs. (But turned on the TV at 2:02 so missed the first goal, boo, then fell asleep at half-time- woken by the TV after it was over... boohoo!) -
This lively rant by Matt Taibbi gets to the heart of something anyone in the media can recognise. You can- and most newsmedia people probably at some point will- get too close to the people you're covering.
Not everyone turns into a nightly unpaid pr hack. It might just be a gushy phrase, a little bit embarrassing looking back. Or two clips of X say, who speaks so winningly, and just one of dull Y. Or simply a decision to cover story x, because you know X's ex, and not story Y, because- well, why, when it will make X and his ex so excised?
Who in the media hasn't at some time felt a frisson of excitement, a thrill, to even be close to- let alone chatting with- President Z or Mayor Y or Industrialist K, reputed to be worth more than the South Island?
Powerful people are often charming, and often ruthless with that charm. Journalists are people too, and mostly they like being liked.
Besides, there's the endless lure of being on the inside, perhaps picking up a tip, maybe being the one Rock Legend F chooses from his cellphone list when he wants to come out as a bibliophile or smear the former bass-player.
It happens a lot. The relationships between reporters and reported affects journalism. It can be complicated or simple; pure-hearted or venal; and a million shades between.
At any rate, it's best acknowledged.
The clip he's responding to (and a little background). (Here's Hasting's Rolling Stone piece on McChrystal that got the general sacked. For anyone who has an hour free, and hasn't seen it, it's interesting.:) -
these independent institutions called `universities' where scientists can work, which are specifically designed to emphasise academic freedom
It was like that. once, I seem to remember.
Now it's all about funding sources, publishing every scrap or random thought, and a heap of 'applied technology" :( -
"Compounded Collins" would be a great name for a cocktail.
Three parts ignorance, one part authoritarianism, with a twist of malice.
Grind down, repress, then lock in a shipping container of ice.