Napoleon was poggers, says Le Miz

My son recently told me that Napoleon -- you know, France's short Emperor -- was "poggers." Now, definitions may be in order for those who, unlike my son, are not avid video gamers. Poggers: Originating from an emote on the streaming platform Twitch, poggers or pog is an Internet slang term used to express enthusiasm, … Continue reading Napoleon was poggers, says Le Miz

Tolstoy descendant takes in Ukrainian refugees

Marta Albertini, the great-granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy, has taken a Ukrainian mother and daughter into her home in Switzerland. Anastasia Sheludko and Marta Albertini Apparently Albertini and many others of Tolstoy's descendants have signed a letter to Putin saying that the family opposed the war and that Tolstoy himself, a renowned pacifist, would have been … Continue reading Tolstoy descendant takes in Ukrainian refugees

Orion, the Bear and the Pleiades (Job 38)

I have an old telescope, through which I've spent many hours observing and photographing the sky. An old blog of mine, Catching the Sky, has many of my photos and observations. I've been looking through my photos and journals in recent days, partly inspired by Tom McLeish's book, Faith and Wisdom in Science. His book … Continue reading Orion, the Bear and the Pleiades (Job 38)

Favorite books of 2021 (and 2020)

My blog is new, so I've never picked out favorite books for a year, but here we go. My ten faves for 2021, fiction and nonfiction, out of the 66 books I read: 1. New Testament -- the recent translation by David Bentley Hart 2. Notre Dame de Paris Translated by Alban Krailsheimer 3. Lonesome … Continue reading Favorite books of 2021 (and 2020)

Hero, meet your villain; or, never mind

It's a common trope in fiction: a final confrontation between the central hero of a story and its central villain. It's an important trope in Westerns, both on the page and screen -- Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" is just one famous example. And we see it in works of fiction that are too many to count: … Continue reading Hero, meet your villain; or, never mind

Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary Discuss Their Suicides

"Anna Karenina" is not quite letting me go. Partly that's because it was just that good. I went back to re-read Part 8; and generally I don't re-read books until years later; but I had to drink in that last section of the novel again, and slowly. Partly the book is hanging on because I've … Continue reading Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary Discuss Their Suicides