Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Which Bands Will Be Played in 2100?

 


From "Amusing Ourselves to Death"

In television teaching, perplexity is a superhighway to low ratings. A perplexed learner is a learner who will turn to another station. This means there must be nothing that has to be remembered, studied, applied or, worst of all, endured. It is assumed that any information, story or idea can be made immediately accessible, since the contentment, not the growth, of the learner is paramount.

- Neil Postman

Crank It Up

 


Monday, August 10, 2026

Willie and Merle

 


Bring Them Back!


Natalya Murakhver on how the best children's history books were allowed to go out of print.

When I was a child, I read the Random House history series. All of the books were excellent.


Lupin

 


Mr. Peretz and His Constellation

From The New Criterion in 2023: 

Myron Magnet on The Controversialist: Arguments with Everyone, Left, Right and Center by Martin Peretz.

I can recall when Peretz's editing of The New Republic produced a must-read magazine.

First Paragraph

There was a photograph of Frank in an ad that ran in the Detroit Free Press and showed all the friendly salesmen at Red Bowers Chevrolet. Under his photo it said Frank J. Ryan. He had on a nice smile, a styled moustache, and a summer-weight suit made out of that material that's shiny and looks like it has snags in it.

- From Swag by Elmore Leonard

People We Were Fortunate to Have

 


Sunday, August 09, 2026