| 9.3.02 |
Mathamatics, the language of the universe.
"So I asked Einstien one day, 'Do you believe that absolutely everything can be expressed scientifically?'
"'Yes,' he replied, 'it would be possible but it would make no sense. It would be description without meaning -- as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure.'"
--Hedwig Born in "Helle Zeit"
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Documents
I am adding a documents page. Over there I will post papers and longer stuff that might clog up this main page.
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| 8.3.02 |
Where do Christians hide the real books?
"There on the shelves were personal affirmations of faith by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, a born-again diet plan, a transcription of the horrible (though rather unimaginative) things you can hear if you play rock and roll records backward, and a weighty tome arguing that every time the New Testament says "wine" it really means "grape juice." But I couldn't find anything you'd actually call a book. The Bibles themselves had names like A Bible Even You Can Read and The Bible in English Just Like Jesus Talked."
—P.J. O'Rourke, Holidays in Hell
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Interesting piece on passing languages by John J. Miller, of the National Review, in the Wall Street Journal.
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We Were Soldiers had quite a few reviews that didn't get it, here is one that does.
This movie heroized soldiers in the way only the men of WWII have been heroized before. Conservatives--notably those posting on National Review Online--didn't like the violence, and indeed We Were Soldiers has footage in the same league as Saving Private Ryan and Blackhawk Down. Liberals still don't like the war.
Vietnam War movies have had a hard time. In my opinion they were all bad until this one. They either make it a pure war movie, Rambo/Terminator style, and avoid all philisophical content, or they make the story a conflict with ourselves, way too political, partisan and biased. We Were Soldiers gives us a good story that feels like history. It doesn't sell us a presupposed reality or avoid the moral questions of the war.
The reviewer does a good job at showing the Boomers' moral development and how their emotional additude has shifted enough to respect the "Greatest Generation" and glorify WWII but hasn't yet allowed many of them to look on Vietnam unjaded.
This is the first Vietnam War movie that was intended to be timeless and wasn't exclusivly made for vets and protestors.
Besides, the photojournalist character and scences were awesome and should be required viewing in all journalism classes.
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Good weather blamed for spike in Oakland murders
According to Oakland police, the sunshine brings more than picnics. Does this seem like an excuse to you?
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Changes:
Note the links added to the page. These are sites I read. Enjoy.
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Coming:
Reviews of "The Searchers" and "The Man who Shot Liberty Valance," John Ford films 4 and 5.
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APOLOGIES--
Every once in a while you realize you don't know as much as you think you know. The lack of an end quote resulted in the monstrosity you see in the "My Darling Clementine" posts. The error was done in such a way that it cannot be fixed so we will have to live with them.
I promise never to do it again.
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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (
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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (John Ford film 2)
I didn't like this film. It tells the story of the gunfight at the OK corral but is wrong on almost every historical detail. having seen more recent and accurate films and read a few books on the subject, I disliked the complete recreation of the story. Everything from why the Earps come to Tombstone to their relationship to Doc Holiday to Holiday's death is historically wrong.
What is interesting is why Ford bent the story. With his version we see Fordian (excuse the phrase) themes emerge. Holiday represents savagery in competition with Clementine and the Earps' representing civilization. Holiday represents the loner outside the community who will be vital to the survival and the future of the community but can never partake.
I find the reasons for the bending interesting but would have told him to find a story that fits his themes.
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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (
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FORT APACHE (Ford film 3)--
Ford retells the story of Gen. George Custer. He changes parts of the story in order to better portray the spirit of the situation, getting inside Custer the man. He sets him in the South West both so he can use his beloved Monument Valley but also so he can move away from the then typical heroization of Custer and tell a fuller story.
I have trouble enjoying the film because the main character, played by Henry Fonda, is such a bitter and uptight fellow. I don't like people like the he portrays and it makes it hard to enjoy the film. Seeing Temple as an older girl is interesting--watching her tenative attempts to act while depending on being cute. The other characters are enjoyable and interesting.
The closing of this film, where the second in command covers up for his reckless, stupid and now (with his soldiers) dead commander, is a forerunner to the "Print the Legend" ending of "Who Shot Liberty Valance," a latter film. Ford attempts to balance the need for legend and myth in a society with a respect for truth and fact. It is a precarious weighing of the scales. History professors in the audience seemed uneasy with the move to disregard history in favor of myth.
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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (
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SERAPHIM DANCKAERT--
My friend and fellow journalist now has a blog. Despite his fascination with all things Greek and Latin (we have to forgive him, he is a classicist) I think he has and will continue to have an intelligent site.
For the record, my first mention of him is in a promotional and not combative. This was not so on his site. He responds on his blog to my e-mail response to his opinion piece in the Collegian. I shall respond to his blog on my blog and I think we will have a good blog war. Maybe not on the scale of the Goldberg/Sullivan or the Goldberg/LewRockwell wars, but a blog war nonetheless.
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BRASH AND ARROGANT III--
It has come to my attention that our college president, Larry Arnn, has spoken extensivly of me and our conversation at college dinners.
I find this funny. Should I send him a bill for my provision of subject matter?
Arnn has dinner with all the seniors of the college every year. They go to the president's house, called Broadlawn, in groups of 16 or something. He likes to talk philosophy and history--mostly the merits of conservatism and Churchill--and feel like he is testing the students. In his mind it is something like a exit exame although it has no bearing on the students' exit.
He also like to use the conversations later when speaking with donars and the parents of prosppective students. I suppose I have given him material for all of the dinners above.
Pretty good for my first year at this school. Ahhhhhhh, the arrogance kicks in.
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BRASH AND ARROGANT II--
In today's Collegian, our college paper, I was attacked in the letters to the editor. Both of them said I didn't know what I was talking about, didn't understand art and am not qualified to talk about art.
Their arguments aren't devastating to mine. A few are attacking straw men I didn't set up, a few misunderstand what I said and a few are fair points.
The only part of the letters that suprised me are the ones that are personal. One letter from an art major says: "If he wanted a serious debate, however, Silliman should have based his arguments on logic and fact instead of unfounded opinion." She goes on to accuse me of a lack of research and sweeping generalizations. A second writer, a senior, says: "Silliman's ...article was so weak it demonstrates to me that he doesn't really know all that much about art." She concludes by saying: "I think Silliman should look harder at the Hillsdale student's creation. If they didn't say anything to him, it was probably because the message went over his head."
To reaffirm my brashness I am posting the articles on my dorm room door as trophies.
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| 5.3.02 |
BRASH AND ARROGANT--
It takes a dash of those two qualities, if we can call them qualities, to be a journalist.
I wrote an opinion piece (which can be read at hillsdale.edu/collegian/articles/2002/February/safeand) for the school paper here where I work as a reporter. I said the work of our art department is safe, boring and predictable. I said it well. And now I'm taking some heat.
This is a small school so the art department isn't that big but three art majors have disagreed with me (despite my efforts to hide from them for the next few weeks). I've had a few profs and a few administrators disagree with me. Conservative Catholic students have disagreed with me. Today at lunch the school president came over to my table to disagree with me.
Being brash and arrogant really helps when the heat is turned on. I stand by what I said and am a little proud to have gotten the reactions.
Some students did offer me their support, which was certainly appreciated. But then, when talking to someone (like the head of the school) who thinks you don't know what you're talking about it, self-confidence is all you've got.
Davy Crockett said "Be sure you're right, then go ahead." That is the best advice anyone could offer to a journalist.
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STAGECOACH (John Ford film 1)--
A good film really defining the characters of the west. The drunken doctor, the prostitute with the heart of gold, the southern gentlemen, the wife of the calvary officer, the young outlaw, the fat and timid stagecoach driver--they are all there and defined in this flick. The stagecoach works as a good prop, drawing the characters from different lives with different problems into one place with a common mission. It is not really incredible as a plot but good to watch and defining for its time.
John Wayne makes a big appearence. This is probably his first good film, where he has begun to play the Duke that we know from latter years.
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| 3.3.02 |
CARTESIAN LOGIC (update)--
I recieved a B- on the paper. I talked in circles too often when I could have written in straight lines. I needed to follow Descartes own arguments more closely. My prof said I came to very plausible conclusions by not so plausable arguments. He basically liked what I had to say--he said my work was above average--and said I was certain to move up from here.
I could have done better but am still in a really good place for the class.
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PRINT THE LEGEND-- This next week I am attending Hillsdale College's Center for Constructive Alternative seminar, the fourth and final one this year. CCAs (as we students know them) are often boring and expressions of party line. My philosophy prof uses them in examples of bad logic. This one, however, promises to be interesting.
The topic is the Westerns of John Ford. We are watching five of his films and his grandson and two of his biographers are lecturing. We will be discussing the imagery of the west, their role as myths and legends for America and how the past was defined by this film director.
I plan to post my thought on the lectures and reviews of the movies as the week progresses. I expect to be stimulated by the event and posting should help me with the paper I eventually have to write.
I'm giving 10 points to the first person who can give me the name of the J. Ford movie and the context of the line "When the fact becomes legend, print the legend."
As a journalist I certainly appreciate that sentiment.
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DOMINION theology hits Franklinton, La. with the proclaimation "Jesus is Lord of All" displayed on one of every four homes. Read the story at http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,46885,00
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