Diary, Must Know
As readers of this web diary know, I love the New Yorker magazine. It happens rarely that I truly dislike an article in what I consider the best magazine in the world. A few weeks ago, however, I was quite disappointed with Jane Kramer’s portrait of Pope Benedict. I felt that she was uncharacteristically off mark, failing to get at the core of what makes Benedict tick. As I wrote previously, the tragedy of the present Pope is that when having to choose between his deep love for the traditions of the church and his love for humans beings, he sides with the traditions. But he is clearly not a reactionary nor a fool. A few days ago, I read an summary of what the Pope says about evolution in a recent German language book on Creation and Evolution, which was based on a conference attended by the leader of the catholic church. The Pope, confirming my sense that he is a darn smart fellow, did not claim that the Darwin’s theory of evolution is wrong, but simply holds that it does not explain everything. Even a hardcore Darwinist can agree this position. Last night I read a fantastic article in the Economist surveying the present backlash against Darwinism, which did a much better job in portraying Benedict’s intellectual positions. For me the most interesting part of the article was to see how the catholic church itself is divided on how to deal with Darwin’s insights. Father George Coyne takes the most interesting position.News from the battle between Science and Religion
Diary
Louis Menand reviews two recent books of quotations in the New Yorker. After reading his fun review, I really want these two books for my library. Anyone forgot my birthday? Sherlock Holmes never said “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Neither Ingrid Bergman nor anyone else in “Casablanca” says “Play it again, Sam”; Leo Durocher did not say “Nice guys finish last”; Vince Lombardi did say “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” quite often, but he got the line from someone else. Patrick Henry almost certainly did not say “Give me liberty, or give me death!”; William Tecumseh Sherman never wrote the words “War is hell”; and there is no evidence that Horace Greeley said “Go west, young man.” Marie Antoinette did not say “Let them eat cake”; Hermann Goring did not say “When I hear the word ‘culture,’ I reach for my gun”; and Muhammad Ali did not say “No Vietcong ever called me nigger.” Gordon Gekko, the character played by Michael Douglas in “Wall Street,” does not say “Greed is good”; James Cagney never says “You dirty rat” in any of his films; and no movie actor, including Charles Boyer, ever said “Come with me to the Casbah.” Many of the phrases for which Winston Churchill is famous he adapted from the phrases of other people, and when Yogi Berra said “I didn’t really say everything I said” he was correct.Great Books of Quotations
Diary, Curious News
Curious news from the marriage front courtesy of Samantha Brett. MARRIED folk, hold on to your wedding rings! Those marriage vows we once happilyMarriages aren’t made for heaven
exchanged are in deep trouble. “For richer or poorer” has reached the end of its run, permanence has taken a back seat and the phrase “till death us do part” has been rejigged. The modern version runs something like “till the love runs out.” Or, more often,“till better booty comes my way.” Welcome to the vow revolution. It’s not surprising, either. With casual sex on the rise, marriage on the slide, and internet dalliances more accessible than a Paris Hilton video, long-term relationships are no longer safe. Even the Hollywood actor Zack Braff was overheard supporting this trend when he quipped: ‘‘The whole ‘till death us do part’ thing is hard. We don’t want to make a mistake. But we have our parents, who are often examples of people who made mistakes.”
Diary, Astute Observations
Sometimes the lecture by the recipients of the Nobel Prize for literature are superb (e.g. Guenter Grass) and sometime they are quite disappointing (e.g. Heinrich Boell). Just read the Orhan Pamuk gave in Stockholm a few months ago after receiving the 2006 prize. It is a great read. Try it… By Orhan Pamuk: Two years before his death, my father gave me a small suitcase filled with his writings, manuscripts and notebooks. Assuming his usual joking, mocking air, he told me he wanted me to read them after he was gone, by which he meant after he died. ‘Just take a look,’ he said, looking slightly embarrassed. ‘See if there’s anything inside that you can use. Maybe after I’m gone you can make a selection and publish it.’Nobel Lecture: My Father’s Suitcase
Diary
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Diary
I am waiting for the fifth season of 24 to come out on DVD December 5th. In the meantime, I am watching the first season of the HBO comedy Entourage on the Stairmaster, trying to lose a few pounds. The show gives you a look at the day-to-day life of Vincent (Vince) Chase, a hot young actor in modern-day Hollywood, and his entourage. He’s brought with him from their hometown in Queens, NY: manager Eric, half-brother Drama, and friend Turtle. The producers claim thatWatching Entourage
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