the adventure of links

Some Friday linkage for your consideration...

Before we begin- Happy Birthday Tribute to Katherine Hepburn, star of so many things like Bringing up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib and The African Queen; just to name a few of The Shelf's favorites. I am currently reading (among other things) a fascinating biography about her and her career. Here is the IMDB page with her info. Also a good article on her at classicmovies.org. And mucho info on this great actress at TCM.

I know some of you may be tired of how often we link to Victor Davis Hanson- but the man has a way with words and in our mind is often correct. Here are two important recent pieces that we are assigning for homework. Pop quiz on Monday:
VDH- The Prison of the Present
An excerpt:
But why did a poorer, less educated, and more illiberal United States in far bloodier and more error-ridden wars of the past still have greater confidence in itself? Was it that our ancestors, who died younger and far more tragically, did not expect their homeland to be without flaws, only to be considerably better than the enemy's?
Perhaps we have forgotten such modesty because we have ignored the study of history that alone offers us guidance from our forbearers. It now competes as an orphan discipline with social science, -ologies and -isms that entice us into thinking that the more money and education of the present can at last perfect the human condition and thus consign our flawed past to irrelevance.
The result is that while sensitive young Americans seem to know what correct words and ideas they must embrace, they derive neither direction nor solace from past events. After all, very few could identify Vicksburg or Verdun, much less have any idea where or what Iwo Jima was. In such a lonely prison of the present what are historically ignorant Americans to make of a Fallujah or an Iranian madman's threat of annihilation other than such things can't or shouldn't or must not happen to us?
And VDH- In the Eye of the Beholder. You might need a history book for this one if the above excerpt confuses you. Also VDH on Hugh Hewitt's radio show.

Ever wonder if the reason for our energy problems lie with the usual gang of idiots up in the halls of Congress and the wacko special interest groups that ply them with cash and threats? I ain't taking about the Oil companies neither. Mad yet? Gateway Pundit is.

Tired of the press gushing about the letter? Want to know what it really means? Via Maggie's Farm: links to Dinocrat. If you think that the Iranian President doesn't mean business and this is diplomacy, then you have bought the media's hype- hook, link, and sinker. We cannot avoid war or the threat of war by pretending it doesn't exist. That's like avoiding a disease by not getting looked at by a doctor and pretending you don't have it. By the time you start coughing up unsavory things it may be too late.

On a lighter note, this may be the first year in several that I have completely ignored E3. Am I interested in the new games and next-gen hardware and consoles. To a degree, but I am finding that I am not as interested in being ready for next-gen consoles. They'll come- but unless I can get some hologram action or serious VR technology going, they'll just be prettier pictures. Very expensive prettier pictures. Seriously- 600 bucks? For what? Well at least it plays HD- no wait Blu-Ray, I mean... oh never mind. I think they'll just have to count me out this round. Time to fire up some SNES this weekend. Gamespot has some coverage of the upcoming console wars. (Has gaming gone so mainstream as to have analysts? Apparently so.) OK- I guess now I am not completely ignoring E3.

And over at Cartoon Brew- two interesting scans (scroll down) of an article about Disney during WW II. Plus video of a Q & A with Pixar's John Lasseter after the Paris premiere of their latest, Cars. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it. Are you?

Also Cinerati has an semi-interactive Q & A going on about... Cinerati. Christian has been going over the Blogroll and who they are and why they are there. It's almost like going through a closet you haven't opened in a while... pretty cool. Check them out. (Psst- also Uncle Loophole is working a new post for Cinerati. Stay tuned.)

Well Shelfer- have a good weekend. Wolf is working on post that should be up soon. It will be worth waiting for- stay tuned.

As always your comments and expositions are welcome.




No matter what you think you think, you think the same as I think.