Sunday  25 Mar 2018           comment?

A solitary soul, he was not easy to approach. But his friendships were built on rock. He lived the simple life of a scholar, a busy, secluded, almost monotonous life that only occasionally became interspersed with rather quixotic fighting against stupidity, chauvinism, and dilettantism in his field of scholarship. He did not understand the little amenities of sociability or the innocent half-lies of daily life and rejected them with a childlike, brusque, perturbed amazement. His character was hard and clear, like a glowing crystal radiating its inner heat without getting warm and soft on the surface. His words were few and to the point; his interests, intense and critical. His judgment was uncompromising in the rejection of all moral, mental, or artistic dishonesty.

- Ottó Gombosi on Béla Bartók, who would be 137 today

Friday  23 Mar 2018           comment?

Sunday  18 Mar 2018           comment?

Diane Feinstein:

"I look forward to speaking again with Gina Haspel about the role she would play and how she would run the CIA. It's no secret I've had concerns in the past with her connection to the CIA torture program and have spent time with her discussing this. To the best of my knowledge, she has been a good deputy director and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with her again."

This sounds like it will go as well as Feinstein's trust in Michael Mukasey ten years ago.

Sunday  04 Mar 2018           comment?

Friday  02 Mar 2018           2 comments