Month: November 2008
This Gendered Blog
I sometimes mention this blog in class. Not wanting to indicate its politics, I never give them the name and when they ask about its nature, I say something like: “I don’t know why they let me write there. It’s full of guys who’d like a tank in their backyard.” Last week, the two Corps guys in the front row started grinning – “Actually,” one said, “that would be pretty cool.”
Anyway, clearly the guys here “have a pair” as Brad Paisley would say. The only one close to its 91% among Gateway’s examples is Vodkapundit’s 90%. (Maybe gender is defined by tanks & liquor)
Asleep at the Throttle
Who is in charge of the clattering train?
The axles creak and the couplings strain,
and the pace is hot and the points are near,
and sleep hath deadened the driver’s ear,
and the signals flash through the night in vain,
for death is in charge of the clattering train
In his memoirs, Winston Churchill mentions that he thought of this poem, which he had read as a boy, during the appeasement days of the 1930s. I was reminded of it by this post.
The original poem, which appeared in Punch magazine, is here and is pretty good.
Also, here’s the whole issue of Punch in which the poem originally appeared.
Historic Photos of Madison
A few weeks back I received an email from a publisher that asked me if I would review a book they were putting out that had photos of Madison in it. I said sure, but that I would be honest and not give the book a rave review just because it was free. So the book did indeed arrive.