Babylon
Posted: March 23, 2017 Filed under: news Leave a comment
forgetting who it was who told me the story of his Jamaican cab driver advising him that “the news is a Babylon thing.”
Above we see The Burney Relief. Allegedly Old-Babylonian. Do you believe it?
St. Pats, 2017
Posted: March 17, 2017 Filed under: Ireland, Irish traditional music Leave a comment
Some classic coverage from the Hely Times archive:
The Irish Language in Montserrat
Jack Yeats, Olympic Silver Medalist
Ainslie’s Complete Guide To Thoroughbred Racing
Patrick Kavanagh, and how to get a statue built of yourself
Can you help me ID Rob and Lou?
O’Donoghue’s Opera – The Quest for an Irish Musical
Try this ancient pickup strategy at the pub!
Be safe!
On KUSC
Posted: March 16, 2017 Filed under: music, the California Condition Leave a comment
our local classical radio station, the DJ just said (I’m paraphrasing)
if you like the classical music you’re hearing, roll down your windows and share it with your neighbors!
then he said, mild as all hell,
just a suggestion.
KUSC’s website.
Mirga! I swear I won’t forget
Ottensamer ist clarinet bae.
Clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer’s third solo album is dedicated to the Mannheim School: an 18th-century melting pot of musical revolutionary experimentation.
George Bellows
Posted: March 14, 2017 Filed under: art history, New York, the California Condition Leave a comment
Alabama, Mississippi, slavery, and voting
Posted: March 8, 2017 Filed under: America, politics, the world around us Leave a commentLook at this voting map of Alabama for President, 2016:
And this one of Mississippi:
Those are from Politico, 2016 county by county election results.
Compare them to these amazing Raven Maps (I love Raven maps, buy a Raven map) that show elevation:
Look at the Mississippi Delta:
My hypothesis is that the legacy of slavery can be seen in a simple voting map: black people still live in bottomland — cotton country.
You might double check that by looking at racial percentages by county.
No doubt there are factors I haven’t considered.
Compare too to this 1861 Coast Survey slavery map:
This might demonstrate:
- geography affects history
- historical legacies can last a very long time
- good maps are illuminating
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Posted: March 7, 2017 Filed under: the California Condition, writing Leave a comment
Friends, this book is brilliant, hilarious and compelling. I recommend it without reservation.
My galley copy there is banged up because I ripped it in half so I could bring the unfinished half on a trip, and what a delightful companion it was.
Come see me discuss the book with Elif herself at the LA Public Library downtown:
Monday March 20th
7:15pm
Free but get a ticket
Here are some choice excerpts from The Idiot:
Patricia Lockwood highlighted one of my fav parts on Twitter:
Elif some years ago introduced me to the street cats of Istanbul: 
And showed me where to get corn: 
Now, I can return the favor in Los Angeles and YOU can join the fun:
MONDAY MARCH 20
7:15 PM
Mark Taper Auditorium – Central Library
The event is FREE but get a ticket.
ECLIPSE SAFETY UPDATE
Posted: March 6, 2017 Filed under: America Since 1945 Leave a commentAs the date of the August 21 eclipse draws near, keep this important safety information in mind: You MUST use special eclipse safety glasses to view a partial eclipse and the partial phases of a total eclipse. To do otherwise is risking permanent eye damage and even blindness. The ONLY time it’s safe to look at a TOTAL eclipse without proper eye protection is during the very brief period of totality when the Sun is 100 percent blocked by the Moon. If you’re in a location where the eclipse won’t be total, there is NEVER a time when it’s safe to look with unprotected eyes.
NationalEclipse.com sends that along.
Great info at their site. Plus Eclipse Classifieds:
Can’t help but note the Path Of Totality is pretty red. Then again, I guess any path is:
Map by the great Brilliant Maps.
