On Teaching Faust

An elementary school teacher with a background in music in Bennett, Colorado, decided to expose her students to opera. She got a video, entitled “Who’s Afraid of Opera,” and showed it to her classes of first, second, and third graders. The video contained scenes from Charles Gounod’s nineteenth-century opera “Faust.” Parents in this town outsideContinue reading “On Teaching Faust”

On "The Lieutenant and the Doctor"

I should have known better. Oh, I should have known better. Jean Airey’s The Doctor and the Enterprise. Many years ago I tracked down a copy of this story, years later I found it online. A few years ago, I learned that Airey had written a sequel to her Trek/Who crossover story, entitled “The LieutenantContinue reading “On "The Lieutenant and the Doctor"”

On Underworld: Evolution

Hard to believe, but it’s been over two years since Underworld bowed on the screen. For those unfamilar, Underworld told the story of Selene, a Death Dealer (basically, a vampire that hunts down werewolves), who discovers a conspiracy that could break open the vampire/werewolf conflict. It wasn’t a great movie, but it wasn’t without itsContinue reading “On Underworld: Evolution”

On Senator Kerry's Filibuster

Massachusetts Senator Kerry today called for a Senate filibuster of Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito. I don’t know how the votes will break down, if the Democrats will have enough votes to hold off a cloture vote. If the cloture vote to end debate fails, would the Republicans then unleash the nuclear option, rewritingContinue reading “On Senator Kerry's Filibuster”

On What the White House Knew

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of New Orleans President Bush and his advisors stated repeatedly that no one could have predicted that a Category-4 hurricane could breach the levees protecting the city, that no one could have predicted the flooding and the devestation the city suffered. Recently released documents prepared by the DepartmentContinue reading “On What the White House Knew”

On Temeraire

I ordered from Amazon’s UK division recently Naomi Novik‘s debut novel, Temeraire, the first book in an alternate history series that posits that alongside Nelson’s Navy and Wellingon’s Army Britain fought the Napoleonic Wars with a dragon Aerial Corps. I was impatient. I could have waited and bought the novel’s American paperback, entitled His Majesty’sContinue reading “On Temeraire”