Monthly Archives: February 2020

The End. “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.” -T.S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”, 1925 “Everybody knows The Plague is coming. Everybody knows that it’s moving fast.” -Leonard Cohen, “Everybody Knows”, 1988

the realistic 1959 film adaptation of Neville Shute’s On the Beach. Well acted and serious-minded. How might individuals face their inevitable, forthcoming demise?

up while many others are panicking and losing their heads needlessly. With the incoming coronavirus, a person has to stay focused on the here-and-now and make some plans. For me, I’ll follow the Health Minister’s suggestion to stock up on … Continue reading →

beginning with the stock market on its way down, perhaps on its way to a 1929 equivalent crash by the time coronavirus has had its way with North America and Europe. The U.S. is continuing to self-destruct with no one … Continue reading →

Netflix (very weak selection; no classics; no abundance of good to great movies to choose from) and CGI crap (Sonic the Hedgehog).

from the pen of Mordecai Richler: Barney’s Version, based on his novel of the same title. One of Richler’s best works, this satire is full of irony, ambiguity, and realistic flawed characters. Barney, played delightfully by Paul Giamatti, is a … Continue reading →

(the Voyager Golden Record with the sounds and music of humanity’s/civilization’s best.) “The quality of your happiness depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” –Marcus Aurelius (my italics) Life, for me, is very much about living life on a higher … Continue reading →

“My religion is to live and die without regret.” –Milarepa “Inner strength can overcome anything that occurs outside.” –Patanjali “Company with the wise is pleasure, like meeting with kinfolk.” –Dhammapada “Learning proceeds until death and only then does it stop.” … Continue reading →

As in darning socks. Now the prevailing alternative seems to be wearing socks with holes (too cheap or lazy) or buying new/enough extra socks.

the whole waking day stretches long before you, even with appointments, chores, and other regular duties. No matter what, you should be able to get something concrete done within a few hours you reserve just for this purpose. Each day. … Continue reading →