~ William Hazlitt,Characteristics: In the Manner of Rochefoucauld’s Maxims ... read more
Canberrean Dairy note: Gin Gin and Gary
Like Jozef Imrich, Van Gogh died having only sold one creation during his lifetime Afterlife of an artist ...
Theodore Dreiser tried just about everything to succeed, even working for a publishing house whose motto was “The worse the swill, the more the public will buy” Dreiser
In Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry, Maritain wrote that true art is always fractured and incomplete because it can never fully contain the perfect vision that it seeks. It always possesses “that kind of imperfection through which infinity wounds the finite.” Both the theologian and the poet inevitably reach a moment when words fail, when the vision so exceeds its expression that an admission of defeat becomes the best way to express that vision. On the poetic side, we might think of Eliot’s “Burnt Norton,” where we hear that “Words strain, / Crack and sometimes break, under the burden.” On the theological side, we might think of a claim by Karl Rahner: “Every theological statement is only truly and authentically such at the point at which one willingly allows it to extend beyond his comprehension into the silent mystery of God.” In both instances, words fall short of the Word (whether that means poetic truth or divine revelation), yet this falling short is the only means by which the Word and its mysteries might be approached.
~ Intelligible Mysteries
Canberrean Dairy note: Gin Gin and Gary
I learned a new word today. Yabbering. It means to talk rapidly and incessantly, typically about unimportant matters. It is derived from Aboriginal words “yaba” or “yabber” from Australian pidgin. I liked the word so much that I decided to make it a category of its own on this blog. From time to time I will be yabbering about matters of no significance (perhaps great significance to me). So what do I want to “yabber” about today? Big milestone in life for this amazing Canberrean...
Cookbooks, Class, And Status Symbols: A Brief 600-Year History
"In the 15th and 16th centuries in Western Europe, the oldest published recipe collections emanated from the palaces of monarchs, princes, and grandes señores. ... Gradually, technology broadened cookbooks' intended audiences ... [and,] in time, as new ideas formed about equality, democracy, and social stratification, presenting certain books as best suited for rich or for poor was no longer considered effective marketing, but culinary literature nonetheless has borne class markers for as long as it has existed." … [Read More]
Like Jozef Imrich, Van Gogh died having only sold one creation during his lifetime Afterlife of an artist ...
Metropolis at 90: You’ll Never See a Movie Like This Again American Conservative
Hindu Extremists Now Want To Wipe The Taj Mahal From India’s History (To This We’ve Come)…
Hindu Extremists Now Want To Wipe The Taj Mahal From India’s History (To This We’ve Come)…
"In past months, religious nationalists in the Hindu-majority country have stepped up a campaign to push the four-century-old Mughal monument to the margins of Indian history. One legislator recently kicked up a national storm when he labelled the tomb 'a blot'. Resentment at the fact the country's most recognisable monument was built by a Muslim emperor has always existed on the fringes of the Hindu right. But those fringes have never been so powerful." … [Read More]
The psychological importance of wasting time Quartz. Nonsense. You should either be at your job, or figuring out how to be a “smart shopper,” which is also a job. What’s wrong with these people?
“Scientists have called for Kyrgyzstan’s only mummy to be immediately dug back up after the 1,500-year-old relic was taken from a museum and hastily reburied on the eve of a presidential election in a decision celebrated by self-professed psychics.” Link here. And: “In 2011, lawmakers ritually slaughtered seven sheep in parliament to exorcise “evil spirits”
The psychological importance of wasting time Quartz. Nonsense. You should either be at your job, or figuring out how to be a “smart shopper,” which is also a job. What’s wrong with these people?
“Scientists have called for Kyrgyzstan’s only mummy to be immediately dug back up after the 1,500-year-old relic was taken from a museum and hastily reburied on the eve of a presidential election in a decision celebrated by self-professed psychics.” Link here. And: “In 2011, lawmakers ritually slaughtered seven sheep in parliament to exorcise “evil spirits”
Theodore Dreiser tried just about everything to succeed, even working for a publishing house whose motto was “The worse the swill, the more the public will buy” Dreiser
Socialism Yugoslavia (PDF) by Leonard Kukić of LSE:
Beyond the recent past, and beyond the Soviet Union, we know little about the performance of Eastern European economies. This paper fills the knowledge void by analysing socialist Yugoslavia using a diagnostic tool that identifies the mechanisms that drive economic growth – business cycle accounting. The analysis provides novel findings. During the “Golden Age” of economic growth, total factor productivity became gradually more important in sustaining economic growth. Distorted labour incentives were a major constraint on growth since the mid-1960s, and explain the slowdown of the economy during the 1980s. Socialist growth was primarily handicapped by poor incentives to work, rather than by poor incentives to innovate or to imitate. In an attempt to liberalise the economy, economic power was delegated to the labour-managed firms. These firms were maximising income per worker, which hindered the ability of Yugoslavs to supply labour.
In Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry, Maritain wrote that true art is always fractured and incomplete because it can never fully contain the perfect vision that it seeks. It always possesses “that kind of imperfection through which infinity wounds the finite.” Both the theologian and the poet inevitably reach a moment when words fail, when the vision so exceeds its expression that an admission of defeat becomes the best way to express that vision. On the poetic side, we might think of Eliot’s “Burnt Norton,” where we hear that “Words strain, / Crack and sometimes break, under the burden.” On the theological side, we might think of a claim by Karl Rahner: “Every theological statement is only truly and authentically such at the point at which one willingly allows it to extend beyond his comprehension into the silent mystery of God.” In both instances, words fall short of the Word (whether that means poetic truth or divine revelation), yet this falling short is the only means by which the Word and its mysteries might be approached.
~ Intelligible Mysteries
The Elusive Marc Chagall