Defenders of the Beijing government compare Tiananmen Square with Kent State. Besides the obvious disproportion in the number of dead, the comparison ignores the degree to which the respective countries' governments were held accountable.
We Stand With Him
Just after noon on June 5, 1989, the day after Chinese troops stormed the square to brutally crush a student political uprising here, a solitary protester engaged in a modern-day David versus Goliath showdown: Clutching nothing but two shopping bags, he stood his ground before a column of oncoming tanks on the adjacent Avenue of Eternal Peace.
It's uncanny that this image which is seared onto the American mind as the symbol of the slaughter at Tiananmen is virtually unknown inside China.
Moments
I was so proud of my little girl yesterday, she sat up by herself for the first time.
Chumbawamba
I was listening to the "Tubthumping" song on the way home from the KFC, and it kind of stuck in my head. London evenings . . .
Manchester Remembered
washingtonpost.com: Author of Military History William Manchester Dies
William Manchester, 82, whose riveting books about men in military and political life made him one of the greatest popular historians of the 20th century, died June 1 at his home in Middletown, Conn.
His slow death, after two strokes, brought a poignant end to one of the most productive and scrupulous writers of best-selling tomes about outsized modern historical figures and contemporary culture.
Fueled by yogurt and brief naps in his office, the sinewy Mr. Manchester could withstand 50-hour writing sessions in his heyday. In recent years, he was grief-stricken by his inability to concentrate even on simple television programs, much less his final, three-volume project, a biography of Winston Churchill. He had to relinquish control of his career-capping work.
"Language for me came as easily as breathing for 50 years, and I can't do it anymore," he told the New York Times in 2001. "The feeling is indescribable."
The Last Lion
The New York Times > Books > William Manchester, 82, Renowned Biographer, Dies
William Manchester, a biographer who used his novelist's eye to fashion meticulously researched portraits of power, among them Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Winston Churchill and, perhaps most famously, John F. Kennedy, died yesterday at his home in Middletown, Conn. He was 82.
New Beginnings 2
New Beginnings
In Memoriam
Our family always takes a moment on Memorial Day to remember my cousin Kenneth MacLeish, a member of the pioneering First Yale Unit (p. 6) who perished in combat over the skies of France during World War I. MacLeish's letters have been collected in
End of an Era
Roger Straus Jr., 87; Founded Preeminent Publishing House (washingtonpost.com)
"Many people have accused me of being an elitist," Mr. Straus once said. "I'm guilty. I am an elitist. I like good books."
In a sense, it may be easy to become a book publisher when your mother is a Guggenheim. Still, based on the obituary in the Washington Post, it is apparent that Roger Straus stood for an older vision of publishing, in which profits were a way to publish great literature and not merely an end in themselves. His vision of publishing seems increasingly endangered as the world of publishing is absorbed into a handful of giant conglomerates, and almost Orwellian (vide 1984) universe where a few vast behemoths dominate the globe, each nominally at war with the other but all dedicated to the preservation of numbing control and uniformity. On a hopeful note, the Post points out that Farrar, Straus, and Giroux continues to publish books reputed to have literary merit despite having been acquired by large German publisher.
The Face of War
Tillman Killed by 'Friendly Fire' (washingtonpost.com)
Pat Tillman, the former pro football player, was killed by other American troops in a "friendly fire" episode in Afghanistan last month and not by enemy bullets, according to a U.S. investigation of the incident.
The revelation that that former football player Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire is a grotesque reminder of the of the ugliness and chaos of war. (I'm reminded of Hedda Gabler's reaction when she finds out that Eilert Lovborg has shot himself not in the heart but in the gut.) This news does not diminish the courage displayed by Tillman, but it should be an awakening to those who celebrated his death as affirmation of a romantic vision of war.
Addiction
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > For Some, the Blogging Never Stops
The New York Times reviews reasons people blog — with conclusions that are not uniformly flattering. For many of us, it appears to be an escape, one that can become unhealthy if taken too far.
Remembrance
Yahoo! News - Dellinger, One of the Chicago Seven, Dies
A moving tribute to a man who stayed true to his principles.
Night Airs
The other night as I drove home past midnight, all I could smell on the silent night air (all the cicadas had gone to rest) was the sweet smell of honeysuckle in bloom.
The latest bad news . . .
Retired General Assails Planning for Iraq War (washingtonpost.com)
Retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, former U.S. commander in the Middle East, charges in a book to be published today that "everybody in the military knew" that the Bush administration's plan for Iraq consisted of only half the troops that were needed, and says that country is now "a powder keg" that could break apart into warring regions.
You Can't Go Home Again
Yahoo! News - Tolkien House to Go on Sale in Britain
Tolkien is one of Oxford's best known 20th-century literary figures and was, along with "Narnia" creator C.S. Lewis, a member of the Inklings group, which met in the local Eagle and Child pub.
Doonesbury Touches a Nerve
Bad Timing Creates a 'Doonesbury' Dilemma (washingtonpost.com)
While I understand people's sensibilities are raw over the brutal execution of Nick Berg, I do not see how a fair reading of this strip could discern an allusion to Berg's murder. It's very obviously a literal illustration of the phrase "handing him his head on a platter."
(It's nice to see Garry Trudeau making a pitch for justice in the workplace.)
Times' Take on Idol
The New York Times > Arts > Television > How 'American Idol' Got Hijacked by Its Viewers
"It's fixable. But whatever structural changes are made for the fourth season, the idea that the best singer wins will never again be a matter of faith. "American Idol" used to exude a sense of pop-cultural justice � that regardless of appearance or race, all that matters is the voice. The show has lost its innocence."
Another One Bites the Dust
The baby managed to kick my coffee onto my keyboard today. The baby, thank heavens, was unscathed, but the keyboard perished. I bought a new Memorex USB keyboard, model MX2710, and was somewhat surprised to find that the cord to the keyboard had a warning stating that the cord contained lead: "Handling the cord on this product will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause [cancer, and] birth defects or other reprodctive harm. Wash hands after handling."
A quick investigation on Google suggests that this is a California legal excess, and that Memorex cords are no more lethal than anyone else's. However, the warning is disconcerting to say the least, particularly to those of us with small children. (And no, I do not intend to let the baby get that close to the coffee again.)
Some People Just Won't Quit
Yahoo! News - Gay Marriage Foes Work to Reverse Ruling
Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, said the amendment is the only sure defense against the expected wave of lawsuits by same-sex couples who marry in Massachusetts, then return home to other states and seek recognition of their unions there.
"This issue is boiling," Perkins said. "It's gone from an academic debate to a real public policy crisis."
The description of gay marriage as a "public policy crisis" at a time when we are engaged in two increasingly difficult wars abroad, confronting a wobbly economy, and submerged in spiraling deficits shows a severe lack of a sense of proportion. If there were any doubt, it is evident in the fact that these people propose to amend the Constitution to codify their narrow bigotry.