Last weekend, BBC Radio 4 began a six-part adaptation of T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, his famous Arthurian novel quartet. A few years ago, I wrote about Disney’s adaptation of The Sword in the Stone, a film I loved as a child and wasn’t quite as enchanted by as an adult. The newContinue reading “The Once and Future King: The Coming of Merlyn”
Monthly Archives: November 2014
Thoughts on the Jesus & Mary Magadelene Book
I heard there was a book coming out that contained the translation of an ancient manuscript that revealed that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered two children before the crucifixion. “That’s fascinating,” I thought, “and also unsurprising.” The Merovingian kings of France were purportedly the descendants of Jesus, though that’s always puzzled meContinue reading “Thoughts on the Jesus & Mary Magadelene Book”
Veteran’s Day
As Garrison Keillor might say on The Writer’s Almanac, a poem for today, Veteran’s Day. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago WeContinue reading “Veteran’s Day”
The Rival Pitchers
A few nights ago I realized how much I missed baseball. The tree outside my apartment is nearly shorn of leaves, temperatures fell below freezing a few nights ago, and I’m missing baseball. Reading Safe at Home recently helped to keep the feelings at bay, so on Saturday, I went to Project Gutenberg and foundContinue reading “The Rival Pitchers”
Doctor Who Conquers the Martians
On Saturday night, the eighth season of Doctor Who came to a close in “Death in Heaven.” I’m not here to talk about that. I’d rather discus the teaser for the forthcoming Christmas episode, with Nick Frost (probably best known to Americans for his collaborations with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright — Shaun of theContinue reading “Doctor Who Conquers the Martians”
The Affordable Care Act: Back at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has decided to take up one of the legal challenges to the insurance subsidies offered through the federal insurance exchange, Healthcare.gov. This is an appeal of the case in the fourth circuit, where federal subsidies were upheld. The tenth circuit case, where the Appeals court struck down the subsidies, is still dueContinue reading “The Affordable Care Act: Back at the Supreme Court”
Brittany Maynard and the End of Life Conversation
I hadn’t heard of Brittany Maynard until about three weeks ago. I was at the grocery store, standing in the checkout line, and there, on the cover of People, was a lovely young woman and the headline, “Inside her controversial choice to end her life” (or words to that effect). When I got home andContinue reading “Brittany Maynard and the End of Life Conversation”
Safe At Home
Last weekend I visited my parents. They live about six hours away in south-central Virginia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weekend was unseasonably warm — the thermometer flirted with 80 degrees — and instead of taking the direct route home, I opted for something more scenic, something into the mountains. SundayContinue reading “Safe At Home”