Monthly Archives: January 2013

Rilke on Murder

Posted on January 27, 2013 by johnmood

“Murderers are easy to understand,” bluntly says the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke in his 4th Elegy.  Then why do we spend so much time on them?  When another awful one happens, the news media go berserk & everyone spends … Continue reading →

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Xmas 2012 Atmospheric Display & Rilke

Posted on January 26, 2013 by johnmood

Most evenings, my wife Stephanie and I periodically go outside in front of our house in Ocean Beach, San Diego, (facing south) 3⁄4 mile from the ocean and look around, especially at the heavens. We like to see what, if … Continue reading →

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“Temple Grandin” (2010)

Posted on January 26, 2013 by johnmood

I don’t keep up.  A recent clear indication of this is that I’d never heard of Temple Grandin, autistic 65-year-old & revolutionary Ph.D. scientist in the gentle care of domestic animals, until I saw the movie of that name a … Continue reading →

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“Valley Girl” (1983)

Posted on January 26, 2013 by johnmood

I saw this movie, one of my all-time faves, again the other night on TV.  It’s one of those teenage romance movies which fill the theaters in the summers when all the kids are out of school  But unlike most, … Continue reading →

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Rilke & Chamovitz on Plants

Posted on January 26, 2013 by johnmood

A remarkable new book on plants has appeared.  Entitled What a Plant Knows:  A Field Guide to the Senses (NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2012), it is by Daniel Chamovitz, a leading research botanist.  His approach is clever.  He describes at … Continue reading →

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James Joyce on Guns

Posted on January 24, 2013 by johnmood

I used to be into guns but then one day realized what they meant — killing — so I got rid of them.  I have never met a person good enough to have a gun.  James Joyce in his great … Continue reading →

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Welcome

Posted on January 24, 2013 by johnmood

Welcome to you who come across my web site.  This blogging is new to me.  I am doing it because I would like to know who comes to my web site & why.  I would also like to share some … Continue reading →

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