This gem, posted today, by Victor Davis Hanson, on NROnline:
There is a reason why the postbellum Afghans so far have belied predictions of instant chaos, misery, and genocide with the collapse of the Taliban, and instead are fascinated with televisions, free schools, and cell phones. They realize that we did not like the Taliban which they hated and so by extension now do not despise us. In the same manner, Iranians, Libyans, and Iraqis are probably more sympathetic to Americans than are Saudis, Egyptians, and Kuwaitis whose despotic governments we either subsidize or protect. Unlike the case with the closed societies beyond the Iron Curtain in the 1940s and 1950s, Americans in this new electronic age can appeal directly to unfree peoples, both on principles of democracy and through our own often crass popular culture that by its very vibrancy is antithetical to fundamentalism and autocracy alike.
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
In conjunction with a new book on digital video that I am writing for Charles River Media, I am rebuilding the web site here to archive digital samples of video dating back to the days when cameras and video decks were first available to the public. And I meanway before VHS. If you're interested in viewing these, click on the Video Archive link to the lower left of this page. All clips are in QuickTime, and you can download the free viewer from the archive page. Depending on how much interest the site generates, Real streaming clips may also become available. Another development is the serialization of my first novel, Doctor Janeway's Plague, in Acrobat format (downloadable from the Fiction link). News: Scenes from the book will be shot and posted in QuickTime to this site for those book buffs who have an enduring interest in how fiction is adapted to the screen. As far as I know, nothing like this has ever been done, certainly not with any mainstream published fiction. Check back for new installments, or sign the Guest Book if you want to be alerted to when scenes will be viewable.
Monday, May 06, 2002
At the risk of beating the Boston Cardinal Law story into the ground, I can't ignore the latest bizzare statement he made regarding his hand picked Finance Council's rejection last Friday of the multi-million dollar settlement with 86 victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan to which he had agreed last month. Yesterday Cardinal Law said he didn't know, until last Friday, that the Finance Council's approval was necessary before he could go forward with the settlements because canon law requires such an OK. If he didn't know, the next obvious question is: Why did he call the meeting? He previously had set the meeting for last Wednesday, cancelled it late Tuesday and then on Thursday notified the 15 members of the Council the meeting was on again for the next day! And his alleged lack of knowledge on a matter of such import to the archdiocese he claims to be the best person to run is another reason why he should step down.
Revisiting The Verdict. Over the past couple of months, I've noticed Sidney Lumet's 1982 movie The Verdict playing, perhaps on AMC or one of the other movie channels. When the movie first came out, I rolled my eyes at the (I thought) standard stereotyping of the Catholic hierarchythe cold, almost corporate Boston archbishop hiring the prestigious Waspy law firm to crush a down-and-out lawyer trying to make a case for an unfortunate woman who went into a coma due to the negligence of a renowned doctor at the archdiocese's world famous Catholic hospital. But now, seeing the way the sex abuse scandal has been handled by the Cardinal and by other bishops around the country, The Verdict seems almost naive in its portrayal. Who'd have thought Hollywood would error on the side of caution in its insinuations about how arrogant Church leaders can be.
Saturday, May 04, 2002
Food for thought: That Boston's Bernard Cardinal Law, or at least his advisers, are becoming more adept playing the media game is apparent from the latest developments in the ongoing scandal which has rocked the Catholic Church. His 15-member Finance Council was to have convened last Wednesday for a vote approving $7 million in payments to 86 alleged victims of John Geoghan who has been defrocked and is now in jail for his sexual escapades with boys and young men. But the cardinal canceled the meeting only hours before its scheduled start, with no new date set up. On Thursday the fifteen council members were called individually and told the session was on again and set for yesterday. With another torrent of bad publicity concerning Cardinal Law's dereliction of duty throughout the growing crisis certain to follow, one may easily speculate that the cardinal changed the date to take advantage of the lower readership of the smaller circulation Saturday newspapers. What do you think???
Friday, May 03, 2002
Bill Buckley's National Review which called for the cardinal's resignation last month, had more to say on the subject in its latest issue. Reiterating how Cardinal Law has acknowledged he had erred when he shuffled Fr. Shanley around various ministeries, National Review said: "What he has not acknowledged is that the only way to do justice to the magnitude of his dereliction is to resign. Cardinal Law no longer has the credibility to be a moral and spiritual leader for his people. It is a great sadness, but if he does not face it his error of judgment will only be compounded."
Another tough day for Boston Archbishop Bernard Cardinal Law as the news of the arrest in San Diego of Fr. Paul Shanley, for years a priest under his jurisdiction and one who liked boyslittle boys, was all over the pages of the Boston Globe and the Herald this morning. This all after the four principal TV news stations in the Boston metropolitan area each led off their newscasts last evening with a withering, 10-plus-minute coverage of the tragic story and resumed their telecasts this morning with more of same. The cardinal who has steadfastly ignored the calls of most of the Catholic faithful for his resignation, perhaps will accept the message Sunday when he launches his annual archdiocesan appeal at all masses for $16 million in contributions. Many Catholics are expected to say no, until he says yes.
Thursday, May 02, 2002
Site of the day: Total Rewind is about the only place on the Web where you can find a really detailed history of home video technologydating back to the beginning, meaning the late 1960s and early 1970s. It's a UK site that focuses on UK users, but most of what it says pretty much goes for the U.S. in terms of release dates for decks and formats. I found this excellent 'museum' by doing a search for any information on what might be the oldest home video ever made. The reason: the oldest may very well be something I did in 1976. See our Video Archive page on the left.
Wednesday, May 01, 2002
That big puff piece on Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts in today's Boston Globe had a rather amusing 2-column head atop it: "John Kerry hasn't said he'll run for President, but he's hoping that people will get to know himand like him." Of course, every one at the Globe and the N.Y. Times which owns the Globe, knows that he positively is, but play along with him. However, keep an eye on the other senator from the Bay State! Ted Kennedy is not amused by all the play the junior senator from Mass. who married all that Heinz money on his last trip to the altar, is getting and in line for in the months ahead.
Kevin Paul Dupont, the Globe's premier hockey writer, had an outstanding analysis of the Bruins collapse at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup play offs this morning. Since the heavily-favored Bruins' swan dive, many Boston hockey writers have cited tough luck and other weak excuses for the team's failure. Dupont laid it on the line with a highly critical review of the club. His lead paragraph summed it up very clearly: "Don't be fooled. The better team didn't lose. The Bruins began summer vacation Sunday night for a reason, actually for a number of reasons, but the first and foremost because the Montreal Canadiens outworked and outplayed them from front to back."
Kevin Paul Dupont, the Globe's premier hockey writer, had an outstanding analysis of the Bruins collapse at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup play offs this morning. Since the heavily-favored Bruins' swan dive, many Boston hockey writers have cited tough luck and other weak excuses for the team's failure. Dupont laid it on the line with a highly critical review of the club. His lead paragraph summed it up very clearly: "Don't be fooled. The better team didn't lose. The Bruins began summer vacation Sunday night for a reason, actually for a number of reasons, but the first and foremost because the Montreal Canadiens outworked and outplayed them from front to back."
Interesting prediction from Wired.com: Former Random House editorial director Jason Epstein bets $1000 that by 2010, 50% of books will be published by print-on-demand (at the place of sale). WorldCom V.P. Vint Cerf says no they will be published in purely electronic format, either for e-book readers or for other devices like laptops and Palm Pilots. What's interesting about this bet, however, is that both agree that the book publishing industry cannot continue under the current publishing model. (For a taste of either future, please click on the Fiction button to the left....)
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