caroljane

Incidentally and counter to the evil we are discussing, in the Toronto Star there was a great story of one Mr. Beech, who years ago was up on serious criminal charges. He expected to get four years, which distressed him as he had a newborn son at the time - but he had done the crime. The judge gave him a second chance, which he took. He straightened out, raised his son, and recently took an unprecedented opportunity to thank the judge in court . His impromptu speech had the courtroom in tears. I try to balance these things against the the mercilessness of hatred and vengeance, because mercy and redemption are real too.

Yes, I have followed the case in both the Post and the Star here (Christie Blatchford in the Post is a foremost columnist and crime writer here) and the Gazette is highly reliable. Thanks. I want to bring myself up to date on this case. These are the types of cases where folks who argue for special use of the death penalty have a solid case. I agree, except I don't support the death penalty, so in my case it is the "die in prison" penalty . I don't care how they die in there.

Sorry Adam. Sometimes my goshdurn fedupness with real life stuff makes me bolt out and lasso some pore critters who are just lyin there on the page, not doin anybody any harm.

Yes, I have followed the case in both the Post and the Star here (Christie Blatchford in the Post is a foremost columnist and crime writer here) and the Gazette is highly reliable.

The polls will Gallop this way and that way until Gallup sues Gallop for trademark infringement and Gallop gallops to the Gallupagos Islands.

I like the "Valliant and his demented wife" line too. Ou sont les bedsheets d'antan? Magister Scherk does have a corner, it is his splendidly furnished blog here where he sits at his ease and gives audience to favoured courtiers.

This hideous example of evil is very much on my mind as the trial of the unspeakable Shafias, father, mother and son, who murdered their three beautiful daughters, the youngest 13, for "honour", plus the unwanted first wife of the patriarch, is just concluding here. It especially outrages me that they dared, they dared,to use my country , my province to commit this worst of crimes. They violated my tribal ground. It is also a shame that here in Germany 'honor killers' have not seldom gotten away away with second-degree murder (or even only manslaughter!) instead of a first degree murder verdict that such horrific acts deserve. This hideous example of evil is very much on my mind as the trial of the unspeakable Shafias, father, mother and son, who murdered their three beautiful daughters, the youngest 13, for "honour", plus the unwanted first wife of the patriarch, is just concluding here. It especially outrages me that they dared, they dared,to use my country , my province to commit this worst of crimes. They violated my tribal ground. It is also a shame that here in Germany 'honor killers' have not seldom gotten away away with second-degree murder (or even only manslaughter!) instead of a first degree murder verdict that such horrific acts deserve. That is such a misuse of justice. It is not likely to happen here, although the Crown's evidence is not complete as to the murder details. But the Shafias, having nothing to lose by pleading not guilty, have nothing to gain by bargaining for confessions. They will surely get first degree murder convictions and life without parole - I can't bear to think otherwise. This case should be a precedent towards "honour killing" carrying an automatic first degree murder charge, whatever the circumstances. It is essentially a crime against humanity.

Woo-hoo! Dos vidanya, eh? Gord unofficially

This hideous example of evil is very much on my mind as the trial of the unspeakable Shafias, father, mother and son, who murdered their three beautiful daughters, the youngest 13, for "honour", plus the unwanted first wife of the patriarch, is just concluding here. It especially outrages me that they dared, they dared,to use my country , my province to commit this worst of crimes. They violated my tribal ground.

We are all very impressed. We assume you will be in the vanguard of appearing out of the frozen mist. Some of us (well, mostly Grampa McAloon and the seven Sansfemmes brothers) think you should still bring the militia anyway. They are real scared of the Russians. You have a lot of female troupers, right? Unofficially, Gord

You forgot Micawber.

Congratulations Carol! Thanks Adam, I love the pix, especially the way you've dressed him in Maple Leafs blue and white. Carol The littlest Iglovian. He will of course be our mascot at ArcticCon, how are the bagel negotiations and samples of your sold-out presentation going, Brother Footdragger? Also, please confirm that you will be bringing your militia troupe, they say the Russian icebreakers are looming up the Inlet again. Gord

Peter, Up til a year or so ago I would have agreed with you. Now, I think the moderators are doing a good job at walking the fine line between encouraging robust debate, and heading off nasty personality clashes. There has been a definite shift in policy over there, with orthodoxy being questioned more frequently. One hears increasingly from independent thinkers working things out for themselves. Considering their youth (anybody under 40 is young to me) I am quite encouraged for the future of Objectivism. And the mods too, reflect and guide that tendency, I think. I see no dictatorial methods by them, but rather thoughtful and considered posts. (I also had a post deleted in the thread - just me being a little fatuous as usual. The mod explained via PM that he thought it might be inflammatory. Fair enough, I didn't mind.) Tony Well, I mind for you. I have never read a post of yours that was in any way fatuous, and to delete it seems officious. I didn't know anything about moderation when I came onto a discussion board, I lucked into OL because I liked the "feel" of it and the good writing of the regulars Now I know it is the very sparing hand of the proprietors, instead of a team of moderators "dressed in a little brief authority" with checklists, that gives OL its unique character. I agree with Brant who wrote elsewhere that he wouldn't stand for his writing being judged to suit someone else's agenda. Free speech uber alles imo.

NOT BORING AT ALL He's here! Callum John Lynam, Grandson#2. 7 lbs 4 0z, dark hair like his father, mighty lungs like his grandfather, sky blue eyes like his mother Heart like a little lion, I can tell.

Some contemporary writers whose work Rand mentioned (partly) favorably in her own articles were Sinclair Lewis, John O'Hara, Ira Levin and Rod Serling. According to John Hopsers' report in his 1990 Liberty "Memoir: Conversations with Ayn Rand," Rand thought Isak Dinesen was "the greatest prose artist of the twentieth century." Here's the segment which mentions Dinesen -- and Shakespeare: That passage comes from a series of three posts quoting from Hospers' "Memoir" about his discussions with Rand pertaining to aesthetics. I posted other segments from the "Memoir" on varied other threads. You can find the complete set of excerpts by searching my posts on the words "Hospers memoir Liberty" (without the quote marks, and be sure to click "as posts" at the bottom of the search screen). Here's a link which is currently working to the second page of the search results. (The link to the first page only brings up a search screen.) I just spent about an hour reading through the 27 posts and some of the context on the original threads. The material pertaining to Rand's and Hospers' conversations is among the most interesting to me of all the discussions of Rand which have transpired on OL. I feel that the way Hospers describes those conversations brings them so vividly alive. Re Nabokov, have you tried Pale Fire? I think you'd enjoy that, given your own facility with language. It's serious-comedic. The Dictionary take-off starts me laughing even thinking of it. Ellen Many thanks Ellen. I too admire Lewis and O'Hara, I think I have read all their books. Amazing how many points of agreement I have found with AR! Well, four so far. I will get Pale Fire when I finish my Alongside Night assignment - to me reading a novel online is not the same as really reading, somehow, and prejudices me against the work.

I didn't go to a Catholic school. --Brant Lucky for you! If you had, you might have been driven from thoughtful Objectivism into raving anarchy.

Adam!!!

A kick! I laughed so hard I nearly choked. This is parody so great, so hilarious, that you don't even need to know what is being parodied. Sheer genius. Adam note - Northern Italian references!

Sorry; there was only Adam and Carol exchanging two posts of banter. It would seem you read nothing between your post 33 and them. Then your #49 spiked the discussion of empathy, which I grant you was running out of steam. It would have been more appropriate and perhaps productive if you had tried to get the thread back on its original track. --Brant Phil!! will you not get it, you are not in the Ford Hall here, you are in a diner, an arts cafe, a hangout. You will be interrupted and heckled and talked over, by people who know you and like you and are used to you, and yes you will make your points, and take your lumps, like everyone elsel. Carol Schoolmarm on break

The two I mentioned - Radio Days (NY Nostalgia, I think you would like it) Match Point, a different direction, his try at straight film noir. I think Mighty Aphrodite is a better pick for Adam, just a gut feeling. Or Annie Hall. I had forgotten about Aphrodite which was indeed very funny, so I will add it, but I stick with my picks otherwise, Annie Hall was way overrated. Now whose taste do you trust Adam, an enervated Floridian postmodernist, or a senior member of the Fraternal Order of the Sacred Igloo? Hint: your answer begins, "Er, gulp" ISS Carol cc Gord Nanook Grand Shaman

The two I mentioned - Radio Days (NY Nostalgia, I think you would like it) Match Point, a different direction, his try at straight film noir.

OK, you're a neo-Pelagian. Now reclaim Britannia, pronto!

Wow. Where do you find this stuff? I can't evaluate the interview since it only emerges intermittently through the whirly things. I love the ambience of it though. See the literati looking all learned. See the author looking uncomfortable. Two on one. They don't do litcrit like they used to.

Thanks Adam. So, do you agree with me about Radio Days?

Yeah, and that's what I meant by "I suppose". I haven't seen either in quite a while, and I reread the book in the interim. I don't remember having such a low opinion of Sue Lyon. Just doing a quick look on YouTube I find this, and she doesn't seem bad to me here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21NufZfEpuY One thing I'm remembering though, and it applied to both versions, was that she didn't look right in her final scene. They just plopped some glasses on her nose to signify that she's now a bit older, and it wasn't convincing. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be convincing. She was still Lolita and would put on glasses to seem older, maybe even to herself.