Non-Prophet

The ghost of Reagan [in8sworld]

It's interesting to me how in so short a time since his presidency ended, Ronald Reagan has become a sort of paragon of conservative Republican virtue. No matter what the issue, you're likely to hear Republican candidates rhetorically musing "What would Reagan do?". As an unabashed Reagan-hater myself, it is hard for me to try to look at Reagan's presidency objectively. I blame him for hundreds of thousands of South American deaths in Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as the end of the compassionate society that defined America and the *great generation* post FDR. But, I am willing to try to try to be fair and put his actions into historical context if I can. I found Steve Sherman's article Reagan's Historical Legacy interesting. In summary, he ends with a comparison of Reagan's legacy to that of G.W. Bush:

It is frequently said that Bush shares Reagan's vision. But Marx's comment about history appearing first as tragedy, then as farce, has never seemed more apropos. Reagan rallied the wealthy classes worldwide; Bush has divided them. Reagan increased the US' power while avoiding much direct military action; Bush has mired the US in two hapless occupations. Reagan brought about a new day for US world power, albeit presiding over an order that everywhere undermined the well-being of the poor. Bush has likely hastened the departure of the US from the world stage.

I never thought that another president could make me nostalgic for the good old days of Reagan!

in8sworld

spotted dick....... it's what's for dinner!

[suesun]

snow is sexy, too....

Snow, by Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, is a masterpiece. And I state this even though I am only on page 211 at the moment.
From an Atlantic Monthly book review by Christopher Hitchens: "When frozen in the present, the mise-en-scene discloses a community of miserably underemployed people, caught among a ramshackle state machine, a nascent Islamism, and the claims of competing nationalist minorities. A troupe of quasi-Brechtian traveling players is in town, and it enacts a "play within a play," in which the bitter violence of the region is translated with shocking effect directly onto the stage. Drawn into the social and religious conflict, Ka seems to alternate between visions of "snow" in its macrocosmic form -- the chilly and hostile masses -- and its microcosmic: the individual beauty and uniqueness of each flake. Along the scrutinized axes that every flake manifests he rediscovers his vocation and inspiration as a poet and arranges a cycle of verses."

Quotes without context can diminish in meaning and power, but I choose to share the following with you anyway, since my own blog (shameless plug) Close to the Sun is currently enjoying the little vacation I gave it on its first birthday.

Here is a snippet of a conversation between the poet Ka and the Muslim cleric, Sheikh Efendi:

Ka: "There's a lot of pride involved in my refusal to believe in God. But now I want to believe in a God who is making this beautiful snow fall from the sky. There's a God who pays careful attention to the world's hidden symmetry, a God who will make us all more civilized and refined."

Efendi: "Of course there is, my son."

Ka: "But that God is not among you. He's outside, in the empty night, in the darkness, in the snow that falls inside the hearts of outcasts."

[Posted by Sue Spengler, aka Suesun]

Bringin' some sexy to Non-Prophet land!

An old classic by Boris Vallejo, master of erotic fantasy painting. Click on the image to examine the incredible detail. [Posted by Klayton Elliot Kendall]

The face of new media in Colorado Springs

NEWSPEAK! editor Aaron Retka (right) presents a Golden Slingshot Award to Springs Culture Cast producers Craig Richardson (left) and Klayton Elliot Kendall (center) at the 2007 NEWSPEAK! War Against Christmas Holiday Bash. (Photo by Sue Spengler)

An insult to black women? [in8sworld]

I've spent the last few days being very uncomfortable with what the mainstream news is considering a major topic of interest. In the run-up to the South Carolina Democratic primary, I've heard non-stop speculation regarding which way black women will vote. Reporters have gone into hair salons, and shopping centers and interviewed black women on the question; Will they vote for a black man, or a white woman and how are they dealing with this dilemma? I believe the question to be seriously insulting to black women - it presumes that they can not vote based on the candidate's position on issues, but will decide solely on race or gender.

For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender? No other voting bloc in the country faces this choice.

Am I the only one that finds this repugnant?

See You In 2 Weeks

I'm off on my honeymoon. We're going to spend 2 weeks deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon with the Matses people, and running around Iquitos. I don't know what to expect exactly, but we're going in with a small group run by one journalist, and includes a second. This isn't a commercial Amazon tour, we're lucky enough to be hosted by the Matses themselves. Adventure surely awaits!

While I'm gone I've invited some of my favorite participants on NP to drive the boat so to speak. I hope you all have fun with the blog and post a bunch of stuff. "The Google" loves NP, and almost anything you write about will receive attention from the wider world. Post often, and don't worry about what you write about. I certainly don't. :0)

Wish me and my wife safe travels! -NP

What is up with that A E stuck together, as in Æ?

Is it a font thing? Is it a stylistic motif? What is the deal with sticking together an 'A' and an 'E' like they're one letter?

Turns out it is a ligature, (qu, ae, fi, fl etc...) which is effectively just about what it looks like.

Wikipedia:

Æ (minuscule: æ) is a grapheme formed from the letters a and e. Originally a ligature representing a Latin diphthong, it has been promoted to the full status of a letter in the alphabets of many languages. As a letter of the Old English alphabet, it was called æsc ‘ash tree' after the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc rune ᚫ which it transliterated; its traditional name in English is still ash (IPA: /æʃ/).

In English, usage of the ligature varies in different places. In modern typography, and where technological limitations prevent (such as in use of typewriters) æ is often eschewed for the digraph ae. This is often considered incorrect, especially when rendering foreign words where æ is considered a letter (e.g. Æsir, Ærø) or brand names which make use of the ligature (e.g. Æon Flux, Encyclopædia Britannica). In the United States, the problem of the ligature is sidestepped in many cases by use of a simplified spelling with "e"; compare the common usage, medieval, with the traditional, mediæval. However, given the long history of such spellings, they are sometimes used to invoke archaism or in literal quotations of historic sources, for words such as dæmon.

In Classical Latin, the combination AE denotes a diphthong (IPA [ai̯]) that had a value similar to the long i in most dialects of modern English. It was used both in native words (spelled with ai before the 2nd century BC) and in borrowings from Greek words having the diphthong αι (alpha iota). Both classical and present practice is to write the letters separately, but the ligature was used in medieval and early modern writings, in part because æ was reduced to a simple vowel (IPA [ɛ]) in the imperial period. In some medieval scripts, the ligature was simplified to ę, small letter e with ogonek, the e-caudata. This form further simplified into a plain e, which may have influenced or been influenced by the pronunciation change. However, the ligature is still relatively common in liturgical books and musical scores.

Are You Popular? (1947)

Don't know, Don't Want To.

I'm planing on skipping this.