Grief

I've started following 'The Book Bench," a short, smart little blog by the book review section of the New Yorker. There are many days when I don't pick up on anything in particular, certainly not anything worth writing a blurb about, but today is different.

Today, I noticed that Menachem Kaiser linked to a story about a man robbing a bank in a "Winnie the Pooh" shirt. Suprisingly, Kaiser, in the same breath, mentioned Bill Clinton's book list. Today, I learned a bit more about William T. Vollman, whose latest tour de force, "Imperial," probably would not have been possible if not for his many eccentricities.

But the post I enjoyed most was a link to a letter written by Kathy Rhodes. The best paragraphs are probably found in the opening and closing of the letter. In a way, the letter reminds me of Donald Hall's "Without," which is one of my favorite collections of poetry. In both pieces, grief's principal utility is to absolve the writer, which in turn makes the experience for the reader that much more profound.

Quick Links

From Stephen Walt, the case for empathy in foreign relations. (Well worth checking out, if only for the links at the bottom of the article.)

Via Ezra Klein, on what issues does the Supreme Court rule most often each year?

TNR sizes up the competition in "Taking Stock of the Intellectual Right in the Age of Obama."

Students, take note: Wikipedia has found favor with as venerable an institution as the London Review of Books.

Modern-day Stoicism

"The realm is in prosperous state, thy house is strong, flourishing under the smile of Heaven."

 The Nurse to Phaedra, shortly before the unchecked desire of the latter brings ruin to her household. 

- Seneca's Phaedra

Alain de Bottom, whose "The Art of Travel" once cheered me up quite a bit, makes the case against optimism:

"Attempts to trust that the worst is over and to stop frightening ourselves seem doomed to propel us into yet worse disappointment. We are not only unhappy, but—believing calm and happiness to be the norm—unhappy that we’re unhappy." 

Jonathan Yardley

I'm behind the times.  After reading this short, delightful interview of "Cleopatra and Antony," I decided to learn more about its author, Jonathan Yardley.  Unfortunately, it appears I missed the boat; Yardley retired from the Washington Post Book Review a few years ago.  On a side note, Yardley once received a Pulitzer Prize for his works in criticism, and he's credited with having dealt Michael Chabon a favorable hand early in Chabon's career.  But my favorite bit about Yardley?  He's a huge fan of Horatio Hornblower.  

Roberto Benigni

I love the simplicity of romance as it is portrayed in the movies of Roberto Benigni.  My dad took me to "Life is Beautiful" when it was first in theaters.  I must have been eleven or twelve, and even though I was still very much afraid of girls, which meant that I hadn't even begun to think about a family of my own, the film left an impression.  More recently, I saw the movie "The Tiger and the Snow," which, in its own way, is just as tragic and surreal as "Life is Beautiful."  Is it strange, then, that the real-life Roerto Benigni conducts himself as I imagine he would if he were one of his character on a visit to New York?   

Portland, OR

Times are tough in Portland.  An influx of young folks, hipster and otherwise, only makes finding a job that much more difficult.  But I love it here, and so I wanted to share some gorgeous photos from the Wall Street Journal.  An article on the city's demographics was also published in the print edition.  Lastly, the Frugal Traveler recently wrote a great (capital G) piece about the City of Roses for the New York Times.  

Oh Portland...     

Conservatism

Whether out of desperation or resolve, conservatives are grappling with their political identity in a way not seen since Goldwater or Buckley.  In point of fact, not a day goes by without some mention of Cheney and the media, Michael Steele and GOP infighting, or Gingrich and the glory days of Reagan.  The selection of Jon Huntsman as ambassador to China only served to demonstrate how much of concern the state of the Republican party is to those both within and without.

The most interesting movement within the party, at least to me, can be found over at newmajority.com.  Check it out.  Even though I might not agree with all of his talking points, I've been enjoying the work of David Frum.  Perhaps this article, in which Frum reviews three books on the end of the Roman empire, will serve as a interesting introduction.

On a side note, George Packer wrote a short article on General David McKiernan's forced retirement.  The Accidental Guerrila anyone?  Excellent background reading from the Council on Foreign Relations on Afghanistan and Pakistan can be found here.

Last but not least, a call for toleration by the controversial realist Stephen M. Walt.