The Hall of Fire

I just started reading "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan, which is about D-Day, which he compiled out of interviews with hundreds of soldiers and review of archives on both sides.


Interesting so far.

BrianIs AtYou

So the people who object to the cartoon are actually the racists because they 've made a connection that wasn't intended? ;) Please don't twist my words. They are making it a racial issue when it is one of political commentary. Do you honestly believe that such an image would not have been used if ...

I'm not so sure that a racist explanation is the correct one. One of Bush's sobriquets was "the Chimp", so it's not like it's the first time that this kind of comparison was made for a sitting president. http://www.bushorchimp.com/ Given the context of the former Bush chimp images, it is p...

Looks cool!

I've received political spam in the past, mind you, but the recent spate of G.O.P. spam seemed to start with the election of Steele as the new leader, and it seemed to become almost a daily occurrence (or even more frequent). Maybe this is part of a strategy to "reach out". Not the best wa...

I recently started receiving spam emails from the Republican National Committee. I verified that the links in the email are actual Republican sites, but in doing so I discovered a world of the bizarre. Seriously, who is going to send an RNC Valentine? That would creep the hell out of me (as would a ...

Actually, the scientists call her Eve too. The mitochondrial Eve, to be exact. And she has a counterpart, the Y-chromosome Adam. ETA: I can't help but wonder if the Adam and Eve story is a remnant of an oral history about leaving Africa. That would be a truly ancient memory, but it's a cute idea an...

Incidentally, Vor, I can't really sort out this different-royalty issue. Apparently it had something to do with a previous license to a Scandinavian TV channel, and that is how somehow Tolkien retained the rights to two books, but A&U to the other two, but it's really murky. Have you got a hand...

A man walks down the street He says why am I soft in the middle now Why am I soft in the middle The rest of my life is so hard I need a photo-opportunity I want a shot at redemption Don't want to end up a cartoon In a cartoon graveyard Bonedigger Bonedigger Dogs in the moonlight Far away my well-li...

BrianIs AtYou

There isn't no call to go talking of pushing and pulling. Pants are quite tricky enough for those that sit still without looking for further cause of trouble.

BrianIs AtYou

My brother get the Week. It does seem very informative. I mostly rely on the Internet for news. To a certain extent, I let others find the interesting stuff for me on a number of different forums, including HoF, TORC and B77 but also including others totally outside the sphere of HoF, TORC, B77 etc....

I've heard some of the Tolkien Ensemble's work, and while I like some of it, I have mixed feelings on others. I found some links for some of the music that I was referring to. It is in a very different style from most Tolkien-influenced music, a kind of lavish folk sound, with an upbeat feel on the ...

With regard to the Sun and Moon comments, there are two things to consider: 1) Why a feminine sun and masculine moon 2) What this means for the Hobbits' knowledge The reference to a feminine sun and masculine moon harkens back to older traditions that are still present in a vestigial form in English...

The pants of a king are the pants of a healer

Just bumping this cause I saw a lovely video compilation of Kilkelly http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4198124531209253674&ei=pvgvSdvxMJDMiQKt2KjnDQ&q=kilkelly+ireland&hl=en I just wanted to say that the feelings evoked by this song are similar to the feelings I get reading the sh...

ToshoftheWuffingas wrote:How does the dragon in Beowulf differ from the gunmen in Shane? If we can tell that, we can understand the importance of fantasy (or faerie or myth).

The other half is understanding how they are the same.

BrianIs AtYou

People should feel free to post criticisms of his actions. I certainly intend to (as soon as I find something to criticize 8) ). Why should we not be concerned about William Lynn's nomination as Deputy Secretary of Defense despite his prior role as lobbyist for Raytheon, seemingly in direct contrav...

Interesting, Superwizard. I'll have to mention this to my sister-in-law and her family. Her mother was back in Pakistan a while back, when some of the recent trouble occurred, and she was delayed getting back. He argued that the root causes of terrorism were poverty, illiteracy and political alienat...

I've been to the Brandywine Museum, which showcases much of the work of the Wyeths. It is not too far from where I live, a bit further out in the boonies. I keep reminding myself that I have to go back again. They have some nice trails along the Brandywine River that lead right to the museum, where ...