“I want to be taken seriously. I feel I am inwardly serious, thoughtful, even tormented, but in practice I yield to the fatuous, the nonsensical. I allow myself to be understood abroad as a colourful fragment in a drab world.” Errol Flynn, from “My Wicked Wicked Ways” 1959
You’ll be pleased to know that Cecil had a weigh in the other day. The generous helpings of food and drink he has consumed appear to be countered by worry, stress and a fine exercise plan.
The redoubtable Ira Maine brought two parts of his in-depth report on impact of the Film Industry at Endette Hall. Applications to be part of this cutting edge community have soared since the writing and the growing appreciation of “The Beaver Thieves”. Read his reports here and here.
Our Australian Election Coverage continued with Paddy 0′Cearmada giving us a further three insightful articles ‘Suspended hostilities’ (19 August 2013), ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (28 August 2013), and ‘Reassurance’ (30 August 2013). They can be read in the Election 2013 tab, along with today’s offering ‘Suspended Hostilities’ (Many of us Bomber supporters are grateful Paddy has managed a post without mentioning that fine upstanding family football club.)
Quentin Cockburn regaled us with three fine pieces this week. Ira Maine had this to say about the first piece, “On entering the United States”: ‘Splendid piece on the terrors involved in entering America for the first time. I very much enjoyed it. There was a great sense of being ‘a stranger in a strange land’ in your piece and it also cofirms that all the horrible paranoid things you’ve ever read about America are actually true! That the Yankee obsession with security is a cross between a Lewis Carroll fantasy and the stupefying witless insanity of Franz Kafka.’
Quentin’s second piece imaginatively titled “A Letter from America” discussed jalapeño poppers, Richard Nixon and Southern Hospitality. A provocative post.
His third post unloaded on modern Museums, by contrasting the intimacy and wonder provided at the small Stromness Museum with the “blockbuster” approach of the majors. He argues that modern museums tend to be deterministic whilst Stromness allows visitors to ponder, wonder, and make their own conclusions.
As promised the Musical Dispatch from the Front featured this Saturday, with the first part of a discussion of stereotyping and the nefarious results visited upon the stereotyped. Read it here
Ira Maine, Poetry Editor has given us a tribute to the great Seamus Heaney this week. Read the tributes and some of his poetry here. Be sure to look for the comments below.
And, dear reader, please feel free to add comments about this and any of our postings.
Regards
Cecil Poole