John D. Rateliff's Blog, page 134
January 15, 2015
Words Fail Me . . .
So, just to show that odd behavior based on theological tenants isn't limited to adherents of any single religion, here's a story of an Israeli newspaper, HAMEVASER ('The Announcer') that photoshoped out the image of German Chancellor Angela Merkel from what looks to be becoming an iconic photo of world leaders marching in solidarity after the Paris terrorist attacks last week. Netanyahu and Abbas, Hollande and Merkel, all appear together in the forefront of the crowd -- except for readers of this one newspaper, for whom Merkel has vanished, with no sign to show she was ever there.
At first I wondered if this could be due to anti-German sentiment, but no, the editor explains that it was "due to modesty concerns". It seems their audience (unidentified, but described as "ultra-orthodox") believes it "immodest" for pictures of women to appear in public; apparently members of this group do a lot of vandalism against posters, billboards, and advertisements.
What got me about the story was not the editor's rather incoherent attempt to explain that he had to do the censoring for the sake of the eight-year-old children who might see it, but the unknowns. Does this paper make sure, when deleting images of women, to mention in the text or accompanying caption that the woman in question was there? Do children whose parents belong to this group know what Golda Meir looked like, or even who she was? If Hilary Clinton were to become president, would this newspaper avoid printing her picture all the time she was in office, or would they devise some workaround to represent her without actually showing her?
Questions, no answers.
Here's the link
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/israeli-newspaper-hamevaser-merkel-women-charlie-hebdo-rally
At first I wondered if this could be due to anti-German sentiment, but no, the editor explains that it was "due to modesty concerns". It seems their audience (unidentified, but described as "ultra-orthodox") believes it "immodest" for pictures of women to appear in public; apparently members of this group do a lot of vandalism against posters, billboards, and advertisements.
What got me about the story was not the editor's rather incoherent attempt to explain that he had to do the censoring for the sake of the eight-year-old children who might see it, but the unknowns. Does this paper make sure, when deleting images of women, to mention in the text or accompanying caption that the woman in question was there? Do children whose parents belong to this group know what Golda Meir looked like, or even who she was? If Hilary Clinton were to become president, would this newspaper avoid printing her picture all the time she was in office, or would they devise some workaround to represent her without actually showing her?
Questions, no answers.
Here's the link
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/israeli-newspaper-hamevaser-merkel-women-charlie-hebdo-rally
My New Book is released!
So, today's the big day when the new, revised, abridged edition of my book comes out: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOBBIT.
Though note that here 'Brief' is a relative term. I've cut the original text by about 40%, from about a thousand pages to 542 (550 with the index). The original version was about 50% Tolkien and about 50% Rateliff: my goal in this revision has been to cut down on my commentary while keeping all the Tolkien. Thus I cover most of the same topics but with much more brevity, omitting tangents (there are a lot fewer notes this time around) and often rephrasing things more succinctly.
I did have to drop the Appendices, which is a pity, as well as the Addendum from the one-volume edition, and also omitted one new section I'd worked up (on 'The Quest of Erebor'): there simply wasn't enough room. And I worked in a few small new bits where possible, such as the evidence from an unpublished 1966 letter confirming Tolkien's familiarity with the work of Sinclair Lewis.
I'm hoping that this streamlined version will encourage folks who might have hesitated before the weighty tome of the one-volume edition to discover for themselves the fascinating story of how Tolkien came up with and put together the book we know as THE HOBBIT, which I've done my best to lay out for the reader in this new edition of the manuscript.
Here's the link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Hobbit-John-Rateliff/dp/0007557256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421298684&sr=8-1&keywords=brief+history+of+the+hobbit
--John R.
Though note that here 'Brief' is a relative term. I've cut the original text by about 40%, from about a thousand pages to 542 (550 with the index). The original version was about 50% Tolkien and about 50% Rateliff: my goal in this revision has been to cut down on my commentary while keeping all the Tolkien. Thus I cover most of the same topics but with much more brevity, omitting tangents (there are a lot fewer notes this time around) and often rephrasing things more succinctly.
I did have to drop the Appendices, which is a pity, as well as the Addendum from the one-volume edition, and also omitted one new section I'd worked up (on 'The Quest of Erebor'): there simply wasn't enough room. And I worked in a few small new bits where possible, such as the evidence from an unpublished 1966 letter confirming Tolkien's familiarity with the work of Sinclair Lewis.
I'm hoping that this streamlined version will encourage folks who might have hesitated before the weighty tome of the one-volume edition to discover for themselves the fascinating story of how Tolkien came up with and put together the book we know as THE HOBBIT, which I've done my best to lay out for the reader in this new edition of the manuscript.
Here's the link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Hobbit-John-Rateliff/dp/0007557256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421298684&sr=8-1&keywords=brief+history+of+the+hobbit
--John R.
January 13, 2015
The Fatwa Against Snowmen
So, recently it snowed in northern Saudi Arabia, and people made snowmen.
And then, somebody thought to ask: hey, is this okay? Are we allowed to do this? And they asked a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajjid, who gave them an official ruling: No.
Snowmen, he reasons, are representations of people, and The Prophet's teachings forbid the making of images. You can make snow fruit, or snow trees, or snow buildings, but not anything with a soul.
So it's official: no snowmen.*
The good news is that, like the Biblical ban on eating bats (Leviticus 11.19, Deuteronomy 14.18), the ban on making snowmen in Saudi Arabia is likely to be a ruling that's relatively easy for folks to follow.
Here's the link:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/12/saudi-arabia-snowmen-winter-fatwa
--John R.
*though I'm not sure how far the Sheikh's authority runs; it may be limited to Sunnis in the Saudi kingdom. In which case an imam living in, say, Minnesota, might issue a different ruling.
And then, somebody thought to ask: hey, is this okay? Are we allowed to do this? And they asked a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Saleh al-Munajjid, who gave them an official ruling: No.
Snowmen, he reasons, are representations of people, and The Prophet's teachings forbid the making of images. You can make snow fruit, or snow trees, or snow buildings, but not anything with a soul.
So it's official: no snowmen.*
The good news is that, like the Biblical ban on eating bats (Leviticus 11.19, Deuteronomy 14.18), the ban on making snowmen in Saudi Arabia is likely to be a ruling that's relatively easy for folks to follow.
Here's the link:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/12/saudi-arabia-snowmen-winter-fatwa
--John R.
*though I'm not sure how far the Sheikh's authority runs; it may be limited to Sunnis in the Saudi kingdom. In which case an imam living in, say, Minnesota, might issue a different ruling.
January 11, 2015
Stephen Colbert, the biggest Tolkien nerd of them all?
So, a little before Christmas I came across the current issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY in the Kent library and decided I needed to hunt down my own copy, which I did the next day. It had what is probably the last Tolkien cover I'll see on a mass-market magazine for a while, and have to say it's a fun one: Stephen Colbert dressed as Bilbo. This turns out to be one of three special covers, all of which feature Colbert professionally made up as a Tolkien character (Bilbo, Gandalf, and Legolas respectively) by Peter Jackson's wardrobe/make-up people. The accompanying article is fun and unexpected.
Think of it: here's Stephen Colbert, probably the best-known Tolkien fan in America, given the cover story for a major mass-market magazine, One wd expect him to use that forum to celebrate the ending of his spectacular eight-year-run on THE COLBERT REPORT. Or to plug his upcoming show, when he takes over as host of THE LATE SHOW from David Letterman early this year.
Instead, he chooses to let his Tolkien geek flag fly, and talks about what Tolkien means to him. As Colbert himself puts it,
Tolkien's world has been a lifelong haven for me -- trulya light in dark places when all other lights went out.For an awkward teenager, Middle-earthwas a world I could escape to.Peter Jackson's Middle-earth also gave mea world to escape to, but by the timehis films came out, I was rich and famousand didn't really want to escape my life anymore.Still, great movies.
This is in part tongue in cheek, of course, but not entirely. The best kind of escape is the one that's there for you when you needed it, and which ultimately leaves you in a better place than the one you were escaping from: you're no longer escaping because you've arrived someplace else.
What's more, Colbert, who famously appeared in a cameo as a Lake Town spy in the second of Peter Jackson's HOBBIT movies, interviews Jackson himself as part of this feature. In particular, the two men talk about how Tolkien is NOT science fiction but more like historical fiction. And Jackson makes the interesting observation, or perhaps prediction, that "I'm sure in 50 years people will probably still be going to New Zealand because of these movies". Which, if the past decade-plus is anything to go by, might well turn out to be the case. Colbert also, in the accompanying article, includes a bit about his own apprehensions, way back when he first learned about plans for Jackson to film LotR, about how he hoped and feared for the results, esp. given his response to the Bakshi and Rankin-Bass LotR films.* He frankly admits
"I was afraid that Jackson would be just another thief come to take my treasure -- my hoard of Middle-earth memories. It was a very possessive, obsessive, dragony feeling. "Or worse, he might not treat them with respect . . .
"And I began to have hope . . .
". . . And the movies came, and they were more than good. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, they were beauties that pierced like sword or burned like cold iron. It was clear that the filmmakers, like the elves of Lorien, put the thought of all that they loved into all that they made."
So. Stephen Colbert: for being an unabashed Tolkien fan in a very public place, we salute you.
--John R.
current reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY, THE NAME OF THE WIND
current dvd: BARBARELLA
* "while I was happy to see someone finally take a live-action stab at the trilogy, I was worried. Because with previous attempts at bringing LOTR to the screen, I had been burned. Take Ralph Bakshi's 1978 quasi-animated Lord of the Rings, a mishmash of The Fellowship and The Two Towers that never even finished the story. And of the 1980 Rankin/Bass The Return of the King, the less said the better. We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!" --Stephen Colbert, December 2014
Think of it: here's Stephen Colbert, probably the best-known Tolkien fan in America, given the cover story for a major mass-market magazine, One wd expect him to use that forum to celebrate the ending of his spectacular eight-year-run on THE COLBERT REPORT. Or to plug his upcoming show, when he takes over as host of THE LATE SHOW from David Letterman early this year.
Instead, he chooses to let his Tolkien geek flag fly, and talks about what Tolkien means to him. As Colbert himself puts it,
Tolkien's world has been a lifelong haven for me -- trulya light in dark places when all other lights went out.For an awkward teenager, Middle-earthwas a world I could escape to.Peter Jackson's Middle-earth also gave mea world to escape to, but by the timehis films came out, I was rich and famousand didn't really want to escape my life anymore.Still, great movies.
This is in part tongue in cheek, of course, but not entirely. The best kind of escape is the one that's there for you when you needed it, and which ultimately leaves you in a better place than the one you were escaping from: you're no longer escaping because you've arrived someplace else.
What's more, Colbert, who famously appeared in a cameo as a Lake Town spy in the second of Peter Jackson's HOBBIT movies, interviews Jackson himself as part of this feature. In particular, the two men talk about how Tolkien is NOT science fiction but more like historical fiction. And Jackson makes the interesting observation, or perhaps prediction, that "I'm sure in 50 years people will probably still be going to New Zealand because of these movies". Which, if the past decade-plus is anything to go by, might well turn out to be the case. Colbert also, in the accompanying article, includes a bit about his own apprehensions, way back when he first learned about plans for Jackson to film LotR, about how he hoped and feared for the results, esp. given his response to the Bakshi and Rankin-Bass LotR films.* He frankly admits
"I was afraid that Jackson would be just another thief come to take my treasure -- my hoard of Middle-earth memories. It was a very possessive, obsessive, dragony feeling. "Or worse, he might not treat them with respect . . .
"And I began to have hope . . .
". . . And the movies came, and they were more than good. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, they were beauties that pierced like sword or burned like cold iron. It was clear that the filmmakers, like the elves of Lorien, put the thought of all that they loved into all that they made."
So. Stephen Colbert: for being an unabashed Tolkien fan in a very public place, we salute you.
--John R.
current reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY, THE NAME OF THE WIND
current dvd: BARBARELLA
* "while I was happy to see someone finally take a live-action stab at the trilogy, I was worried. Because with previous attempts at bringing LOTR to the screen, I had been burned. Take Ralph Bakshi's 1978 quasi-animated Lord of the Rings, a mishmash of The Fellowship and The Two Towers that never even finished the story. And of the 1980 Rankin/Bass The Return of the King, the less said the better. We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!" --Stephen Colbert, December 2014
January 10, 2015
And here's another of our cat FEANOR
And, not to be left out, here's some pictures of our cat Feanor, also from Anne (for which many thanks). I''m happy to say that at his official weigh-in on Thursday at McMonigle's, our most excellent local vet, is now down to a slimmer 16.65 pounds, after having peaked at 20 pounds a few years ago.* We've had him on a diet that has taken off about a pound a year, so that he now, while not exactly sleek, no longer has his tummy sway from side to side when he walks. The vet is going to keep an eye on him to make sure the weight loss is due to the diet and not early warning signs of hyperthyroidism or anything of the sort (given that Feanor, like Hastur, has now reached the mature age of twelve).
Feanor clearly felt the effects of his booster shots and the upset of visiting his least favorite place, but he's loved the extra attention he's gotten the past two days: much petting, having a soft blanket laid down for him in front of the fire, and the like. He's a cat that spends a lot of time alone but blossoms under attention, happily purring when petted and made much of.
So, here's the pictures.
--John R.
*cf. my earlier post, "My Cat Weighs Twenty Pounds"
http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-cat-weighs-twenty-pounds.html
and here's an interim report from about two years ago
http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-cat-weighs-less-than-twenty-pounds.html
Feanor clearly felt the effects of his booster shots and the upset of visiting his least favorite place, but he's loved the extra attention he's gotten the past two days: much petting, having a soft blanket laid down for him in front of the fire, and the like. He's a cat that spends a lot of time alone but blossoms under attention, happily purring when petted and made much of.
So, here's the pictures.
--John R.
*cf. my earlier post, "My Cat Weighs Twenty Pounds"
http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-cat-weighs-twenty-pounds.html
and here's an interim report from about two years ago
http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-cat-weighs-less-than-twenty-pounds.html
Here's a good picture of our cat HASTUR
So, here's a nice picture of Hastur, our little psycho kitty. Looking at it, I realize I really only take snapshots, intended to remind me of people (including cats &c), places, and things I find striking. The contrast with a photograph taken with a good-quality camera by someone who knows what she's doing is impressive. So thanks to Anne T. for the photo.
And, while we're at it, here's a picture of me, taken at Lincoln Park in West Seattle a week ago. I've been assured that the cane, which I do not normally use, adds years. Once again thanks to Anne for the image.
--John R.
And, while we're at it, here's a picture of me, taken at Lincoln Park in West Seattle a week ago. I've been assured that the cane, which I do not normally use, adds years. Once again thanks to Anne for the image.
--John R.
January 8, 2015
The Return of The Cat Report
So, between the trip to Arkansas and the holiday schedule, i've been remiss about writing up notes on how the cats are doing; I'll try to do better in 2015.
Have to say how happy I am about all the end-of-year/holiday season adoptions: Buxter (who had to wait so long for her turn -- since May!), The Kittens (Avalonea and Hagruphus), Toulouse and Monet (now "Cuddles" and "Whiskers"), the Other Kittens (Wysteria and Fuschia, who were adopted, unadopted, and readopted), and Maebe (to my friends Owen and LJ). It was a real pleasure to visit Maebe (now Maeb) in her new home and see how much they wanted to make her feel at home.
By last week (W.Dec. 31st) we were down to just three cats: ANUBUS AUGUSTUS ('Gus'), Mr. TIZZY, and little PANYA. That meant a lot of time to devote to each cat, with walks for all. Tizzy thinks the store is a big, big place. Also, there are dogs. And he gets lost and doesn't know how to get back to the cat room, which starts him meowing. He's the friendly sort, though, and when he spots people he likes to follow them, no doubt thinking they must know where they're going. Anubus was reluctant, and vocal, and didn't stay out long. The real surprise was discovering that Panya has learned all about walking. The week before it'd been all I cd do to stop her from bolting under the shelves (I managed to convince her she wdn't fit), and we'd spent most of her walk in the little corridor with the manager's office and snack machines. She'd been really nervous until she smelled a little piece of sawdust by the door behind which they keep the extra birds &c. That interested her greatly. Then she found a piece or two of dried hay of some sort and happily ate it. That must have made for a good memory, for this week she came right out and explored. She loves to roll over and lie belly-up on the concrete.
I'd brought in two peacock feathers as a special treat, and all three cats loved them. Unfortunately Tizzy and Gus didn't stand a chance: Panya declared that All Games Belong To Her and took them away. It was the same with any other game I broke out: the others might show an interest, but Panya wound up with it all her own sooner or later through sheer manic energy.
Did notice one endearing behavior on TIzzy's part: if he notices anybody watching him through the windows, he mews at them.
In the time between last week and this week a new cat (EMMA LOVE) arrived, settled in, and got adopted, all without my ever having seen her. Great news that she spent so little time finding her new home, though I'm sorry not to have met what sounds like an amazing purrbox of a cat.
This week (W.Jan 7th 2015) we were back to the same three cats again: ANUBUS, TIZZY, and PANYA. In just the short time since last week Panya had declared herself the Boss Cat, with neither of the others interested in challenging her (though her energy seems to bother Mr. Tizzy sometimes; think he'd prefer a little more peace and quiet). Anubus was funny: last week I'd showed him the blankets on the top shelf inside the cabinet, and he'd loved it as the Best Hiding Place Ever. Clearly he remembered it too, because I'd no sooner let him out today than he climbed to the top of the nearest cat-stand, launched himself onto that shelf, and burrowed back to settle happily into a nice soft nest, hidden from the world. It was particularly funny showing him to visitors in the room, since he was entirely invisible with his eyes closed but reappeared when he opened them. One woman who visited was very taken with Anubus because he reminder her of own cat, who she said had been adopted from our cat-room six years back (before my time) and who'd died just two days before. In any case, she petted and fussed over Gus and I think it did them both good.
Mr. Tizzy settled himself on the cat-stand furthest from the door, where he mostly slept the day away. Tried to interest him in games but he kept dozing off. He's a lazy predator, wanting the game to come to him so all he has to do is swipe a paw. He did love being wiped down with a wet cloth, which from his reaction I think reminded him of being bathed as a kitten. Need to figure out something he really enjoys that Panya can't take away from him. Did notice that he's not at all afraid of dogs, though he watches them carefully. Panya too is brave around dogs and actually sniffed two (one of them a miniature greyhound) through the fence at one point.
One of my fellow volunteers came in to visit the cats during my shift, and it was fun to watch the cats' reaction to her: Augustus came out of where he'd been hiding and Tizzy mewed at her, while Panya of course wanted to play. Definitely got to see a different side of them when she was there. Good to remember that the behavior I see out of the cats can be very different from how they act around others.
All three cats got walks (brief for Augustus, moderate for Tizzy, lengthy for Panya), during which he got petted by one of the kind ladies at Banfield.
There's no doubt that little Panya was the star of the morning, especially after I set out the fence so she could lie outside the room and show off her stuff pouncing on little mousies -- the mouse-on-a-string toy was far and away her favorite. No less than three sets of people came by who expressed an interest in adopting her. It was fun to see the little girl accompanying one of these people solemnly playing with Panya through the fence. Another visitor had recently lost her cat and I think looked at all three of ours as a sort of first step to getting used to the idea of taking a new cat into her home. Finally there was a woman who recently lost a beloved cat (seems to be a lot of that going around -- friends of ours in our book group lost one of their two much loved cats last week) who looked almost exactly like Panya; seeing Panya seemed to be a way of reconnecting with some good memories.
All in all, a busy day for visitors coming in to meet the cats. Panya is the center of attention; hard to believe someone won't be won over by her charm soon, though I hope Anubus and Tizzy find homes themselves sooner rather than later.
--John R.
P.S.: Have to say it was great to see the photos of PHOENIX in her new home, very much in charge of all she surveys. And good to know that her health's improved with the weight loss. --JDR
UPDATE: An I'd no sooner posted this than I saw the news that PANYA has been adopted by one of my fellow volunteers. Great news!
Hope it'll soon be Anubus's and Mr. Tizzy's turn.
Have to say how happy I am about all the end-of-year/holiday season adoptions: Buxter (who had to wait so long for her turn -- since May!), The Kittens (Avalonea and Hagruphus), Toulouse and Monet (now "Cuddles" and "Whiskers"), the Other Kittens (Wysteria and Fuschia, who were adopted, unadopted, and readopted), and Maebe (to my friends Owen and LJ). It was a real pleasure to visit Maebe (now Maeb) in her new home and see how much they wanted to make her feel at home.
By last week (W.Dec. 31st) we were down to just three cats: ANUBUS AUGUSTUS ('Gus'), Mr. TIZZY, and little PANYA. That meant a lot of time to devote to each cat, with walks for all. Tizzy thinks the store is a big, big place. Also, there are dogs. And he gets lost and doesn't know how to get back to the cat room, which starts him meowing. He's the friendly sort, though, and when he spots people he likes to follow them, no doubt thinking they must know where they're going. Anubus was reluctant, and vocal, and didn't stay out long. The real surprise was discovering that Panya has learned all about walking. The week before it'd been all I cd do to stop her from bolting under the shelves (I managed to convince her she wdn't fit), and we'd spent most of her walk in the little corridor with the manager's office and snack machines. She'd been really nervous until she smelled a little piece of sawdust by the door behind which they keep the extra birds &c. That interested her greatly. Then she found a piece or two of dried hay of some sort and happily ate it. That must have made for a good memory, for this week she came right out and explored. She loves to roll over and lie belly-up on the concrete.
I'd brought in two peacock feathers as a special treat, and all three cats loved them. Unfortunately Tizzy and Gus didn't stand a chance: Panya declared that All Games Belong To Her and took them away. It was the same with any other game I broke out: the others might show an interest, but Panya wound up with it all her own sooner or later through sheer manic energy.
Did notice one endearing behavior on TIzzy's part: if he notices anybody watching him through the windows, he mews at them.
In the time between last week and this week a new cat (EMMA LOVE) arrived, settled in, and got adopted, all without my ever having seen her. Great news that she spent so little time finding her new home, though I'm sorry not to have met what sounds like an amazing purrbox of a cat.
This week (W.Jan 7th 2015) we were back to the same three cats again: ANUBUS, TIZZY, and PANYA. In just the short time since last week Panya had declared herself the Boss Cat, with neither of the others interested in challenging her (though her energy seems to bother Mr. Tizzy sometimes; think he'd prefer a little more peace and quiet). Anubus was funny: last week I'd showed him the blankets on the top shelf inside the cabinet, and he'd loved it as the Best Hiding Place Ever. Clearly he remembered it too, because I'd no sooner let him out today than he climbed to the top of the nearest cat-stand, launched himself onto that shelf, and burrowed back to settle happily into a nice soft nest, hidden from the world. It was particularly funny showing him to visitors in the room, since he was entirely invisible with his eyes closed but reappeared when he opened them. One woman who visited was very taken with Anubus because he reminder her of own cat, who she said had been adopted from our cat-room six years back (before my time) and who'd died just two days before. In any case, she petted and fussed over Gus and I think it did them both good.
Mr. Tizzy settled himself on the cat-stand furthest from the door, where he mostly slept the day away. Tried to interest him in games but he kept dozing off. He's a lazy predator, wanting the game to come to him so all he has to do is swipe a paw. He did love being wiped down with a wet cloth, which from his reaction I think reminded him of being bathed as a kitten. Need to figure out something he really enjoys that Panya can't take away from him. Did notice that he's not at all afraid of dogs, though he watches them carefully. Panya too is brave around dogs and actually sniffed two (one of them a miniature greyhound) through the fence at one point.
One of my fellow volunteers came in to visit the cats during my shift, and it was fun to watch the cats' reaction to her: Augustus came out of where he'd been hiding and Tizzy mewed at her, while Panya of course wanted to play. Definitely got to see a different side of them when she was there. Good to remember that the behavior I see out of the cats can be very different from how they act around others.
All three cats got walks (brief for Augustus, moderate for Tizzy, lengthy for Panya), during which he got petted by one of the kind ladies at Banfield.
There's no doubt that little Panya was the star of the morning, especially after I set out the fence so she could lie outside the room and show off her stuff pouncing on little mousies -- the mouse-on-a-string toy was far and away her favorite. No less than three sets of people came by who expressed an interest in adopting her. It was fun to see the little girl accompanying one of these people solemnly playing with Panya through the fence. Another visitor had recently lost her cat and I think looked at all three of ours as a sort of first step to getting used to the idea of taking a new cat into her home. Finally there was a woman who recently lost a beloved cat (seems to be a lot of that going around -- friends of ours in our book group lost one of their two much loved cats last week) who looked almost exactly like Panya; seeing Panya seemed to be a way of reconnecting with some good memories.
All in all, a busy day for visitors coming in to meet the cats. Panya is the center of attention; hard to believe someone won't be won over by her charm soon, though I hope Anubus and Tizzy find homes themselves sooner rather than later.
--John R.
P.S.: Have to say it was great to see the photos of PHOENIX in her new home, very much in charge of all she surveys. And good to know that her health's improved with the weight loss. --JDR
UPDATE: An I'd no sooner posted this than I saw the news that PANYA has been adopted by one of my fellow volunteers. Great news!
Hope it'll soon be Anubus's and Mr. Tizzy's turn.
January 7, 2015
Verlyn Flieger online lecture
So, thanks to Janice for letting me know about this one: an online lecture for the TED channel (which aims to present short, thought-provoking talks on a range of subjects) with Verlyn Flieger talking about THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Her piece is called "Imaginary Creatures -- Real Experience"; here's the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87vHzNFadU&feature=youtu.be
Having just watched this myself, I found it very good (as I wd expect from a piece by Verlyn), bringing into sharp focus an aspect of the book (and Tolkien's writing in general) that tends to get overlooked, or at least underappreciated. And, in the way the brain connects things with other things, I was struck with how well Verlyn's insights fit with a point is made by Ursula K. LeGuin in her classic essay on Frodo as Mrs Brown.*
I hope we get more pieces like this: I could watch Verlyn talking Tolkien all day long, and learn things with each new lecture.
--John R.
*"Science Fiction and Mrs. Brown" [1976], in THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT [1979]; le Guin's point being that in Frodo Baggins fantasy literature had found a compelling portrayal of a small, humble, but indomitable figure of the type Virginia Woolf had lamented was not to be found in the mainstream fiction of her day.
P.S.: For those who like this sort of thing, here's a short piece by John McWhorter on constructed languages, which includes a good deal of focus on JRRT, including some amusing brief animations based on Tolkien and/or his work. Apparently it's part of a longer piece, which I have not yet seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5mZ0R3h8m0
UPDATE:
Second Postscript:
I shd add that Janice's source was a post by Andrew Higgins; many thanks to A.H. for letting us know about his piece, which I'd have been sorry to have missed. -- JDR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87vHzNFadU&feature=youtu.be
Having just watched this myself, I found it very good (as I wd expect from a piece by Verlyn), bringing into sharp focus an aspect of the book (and Tolkien's writing in general) that tends to get overlooked, or at least underappreciated. And, in the way the brain connects things with other things, I was struck with how well Verlyn's insights fit with a point is made by Ursula K. LeGuin in her classic essay on Frodo as Mrs Brown.*
I hope we get more pieces like this: I could watch Verlyn talking Tolkien all day long, and learn things with each new lecture.
--John R.
*"Science Fiction and Mrs. Brown" [1976], in THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT [1979]; le Guin's point being that in Frodo Baggins fantasy literature had found a compelling portrayal of a small, humble, but indomitable figure of the type Virginia Woolf had lamented was not to be found in the mainstream fiction of her day.
P.S.: For those who like this sort of thing, here's a short piece by John McWhorter on constructed languages, which includes a good deal of focus on JRRT, including some amusing brief animations based on Tolkien and/or his work. Apparently it's part of a longer piece, which I have not yet seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5mZ0R3h8m0
UPDATE:
Second Postscript:
I shd add that Janice's source was a post by Andrew Higgins; many thanks to A.H. for letting us know about his piece, which I'd have been sorry to have missed. -- JDR
January 6, 2015
Pyramidology
So, get together with an interesting group of people and you learn interesting things. Case in point: last night's D&D session, wherein we continue our unmethodical but painstaking exploration of the BARROWMAZE.* Along with news of the sad fate of the Kalakala (an old art deco ferry they've been trying to save since around the time I first moved out here) and some live-action anime casting (if that's not too much of a contradiction) I found out about the recent discovery of the causeway to the Great Pyramid. I was not aware it was missing, and that the drawings of the pyramid complex I've seen apparently contain a large degree of conjecture. Thus I was glad to learn of this find, and that it was less like a roadway and more like a ceremonial tunnel: deeply intriguing. Time I went back and resumed reading on Lehner's THE COMPLETE PYRAMIDS, which was full of photos, drawings, and maps of all the known pyramid complexes.
In any case, here's the news; thanks to Stan B. for the link.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/after-decades-searching-causeway-great-pyramid-egypt-has-been-found-002530
P.S.: while the post itself is interesting, I'd suggest steering clear of the comments, which seem to be largely dominated by invictive aimed at the former official in charge of antiquities for the Egyptian government, who apparently didn't encourage space alien theorists and thus must suffer their wrath. On a quick skim their arguments seems to me full of grassy knolls.
--John R.
current fantasy reading: THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss (whom I'm beginning to conclude has Tad Williams disease)
current Tolkien reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY ed. Liedl & Reagin (some interesting stuff, but wobbly on the fact-checking)
current audiobook: FOOD: CULTURAL CULINARY HISTORY by Ken Albala (The Great Courses series)
current anime: TOKYO ESP (re-watching)
today's music: PYRAMID by The Alan Parsons Project
*Here's the link to a review of BARROWMAZE, for those interested: basically a great big old-school sprawling dungeon full of undead, which we've been exploring using the new 5th Edition rules.
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-barrowmaze.html
Of course it helps when you have Steve Winter for your DM and fellow former TSR employees making up the bulk of the players.
In any case, here's the news; thanks to Stan B. for the link.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/after-decades-searching-causeway-great-pyramid-egypt-has-been-found-002530
P.S.: while the post itself is interesting, I'd suggest steering clear of the comments, which seem to be largely dominated by invictive aimed at the former official in charge of antiquities for the Egyptian government, who apparently didn't encourage space alien theorists and thus must suffer their wrath. On a quick skim their arguments seems to me full of grassy knolls.
--John R.
current fantasy reading: THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss (whom I'm beginning to conclude has Tad Williams disease)
current Tolkien reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY ed. Liedl & Reagin (some interesting stuff, but wobbly on the fact-checking)
current audiobook: FOOD: CULTURAL CULINARY HISTORY by Ken Albala (The Great Courses series)
current anime: TOKYO ESP (re-watching)
today's music: PYRAMID by The Alan Parsons Project
*Here's the link to a review of BARROWMAZE, for those interested: basically a great big old-school sprawling dungeon full of undead, which we've been exploring using the new 5th Edition rules.
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-barrowmaze.html
Of course it helps when you have Steve Winter for your DM and fellow former TSR employees making up the bulk of the players.
January 3, 2015
Happy Tolkien's Birthday!
Happy Tolkien's Birthday, all.
--John R.
--current Tolkien-related reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY, ed. Liedl & Reagin
--John R.
--current Tolkien-related reading: THE HOBBIT AND HISTORY, ed. Liedl & Reagin
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