Monthly Archives: April 2015

“Cultural Literacy for Religion”

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: I enjoyed Mark Berkson’s hyper-basic (one-half to four lectures per major religion) Great Courses series very much. My beefs with it first, but only because complaining is so much more fun and easy than praising. It wasn’t the anthropological lecture … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Education, History, Philosophy and Religion | Tagged Great Courses, lecture series, Mark Berkson, religion | 25 Comments

Art Du Jour

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Bernardo Bellotto, “View of the Grand Canal and the Dogana,” 1743. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Architecture, Art | Tagged Bernardo Bellotto, Italian art, landscape painting, vedute | 1 Comment

Art Du Jour

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Francken II, “The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector’s Cabinet,” 1621-1623. More here. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Art | Tagged Flemish art | Leave a comment

Architecture Du Jour

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: I spotted this at Design Within Reach, a chic national chain that sells modernist furniture, at their location on 3rd Avenue. Erasing the boundaries between inside and out is one thing if you live in Newport Beach, CA … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged interior design, mid-century modernism, modernism, postmodernism | 1 Comment

A Walk Down Bedford Ave.

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Fenster

Fenster writes: I wrote here about a walk down Moody Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, a half-mile slice of interesting grit and glamour–mostly grit–in the otherwise upscale suburbs west of Boston. It was night time at 5 PM near the shortest … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Commercial art, Personal reflections, Photography | 6 Comments

Architecture Du Jour

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Bruges, Belgium. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Architecture | Tagged Belgium, Bruges, traditionalism | 2 Comments

Mad Men Notes: S7, Ep9 — “New Business”

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Lots of people are disappointed with this episode, but I enjoyed it. What’s wrong with an action-packed installment filled with hook-ups, rebuffs, and comic interruptions? Does every episode have to be slow and ponderous? 1. Betty is going … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | Tagged Mad Men, Matthew Weiner | 1 Comment

Notes on “The Great War”

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The 1959 “The Great War” is appropriately titled: it may be one of the great war films. Certainly it’s a thoroughly Italian one: a war film in which no one is sure who’s in charge or … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Performers | Tagged Alberto Sordi, Film, Italy, Mario Monicelli, movies, The Great War, Vittorio Gassman, World War I | 2 Comments

Mad Men Notes: S7, Ep8 — “Severance”

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Someone once said that TV recaps are the lowest form of writing — which is probably true — but why should that stop me? Therefore, I’ll be spouting random opinions and observations about the last half season of … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | Tagged Colonel Sanders, David Ogilvy, James M. Cain, John Dos Passos, Mad Men, Matthew Weiner | 1 Comment

Science Fantasy

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Gawping at “science” evangelists has developed into one of my favorite pastimes. I use the scare quotes because, more often than not, the people who are celebrated as science evangelists (typically at places like Reddit) seem to … Continue reading →