Big Talk:

***

https://www.972mag.com/netanyahu-prolonging-war-new-normal/

I guess I try to reject any analysis that suggests that the Israelis are "monsters", or that the Palestinians are "animals".

To the extent that the Israeli actions seem monstrous, I would blame the technology, rather than blaming the Israelis. To the extent that Hamas's actions seem inhuman, I would blame the nihilism that comes from fighting a foe that seems omnipotent and invincible.

I guess I do find it useful to look to the Sri Lankan Civil War for an analogy. Because I like Sinhalese, and I like Tamils. And I regret they find it difficult, like everyone else, to forge a just peace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Civil_War

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/percy-s-spirit-and-kandy-s-spiritualism-140180

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/sri-lanka-superfan-uncle-percy-percy-abeysekara-dies-aged-87-1406261

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_(song)

***

Little Talk:

***

https://www.google.com/books/edition/C_S_Lewis_A_Life/9Z-sjP6E8lsC

https://irishpapist.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-forgotten-irishness-of-c.html

An excerpt from Alister McGrath's biography of CS Lewis that made me chuckle (page 94):

"Lewis makes curiously little reference to the momentous events of 1920-1923, in which Ireland was convulsed by political turmoil. The political struggle for Irish independence, given new energy by the Great War, had erupted into violence in 1919 . . . Violence spread to the northern cities of Londonderry and Belfast. The Protestant community felt under threat . . .

. . . Finally, the British government agreed to the creation of the Irish Free State on December 6 1922 . . . the parliament of Northern Ireland requested that it be allowed to become part of the United Kingdom again. Ireland was now partitioned.

Lewis seems to have been curiously indifferent to and disengaged from these developments, despite their momentous implications for his family and friends in Ireland. According to Lewis's diary entry for the critical date of 6 December 1922, the big question on his mind was not Irish independence, nor the political future of Belfast, nor the safety of his father, but whether the word breakfast was to be understood as "a cup of tea at eight or a roast of beef at eleven."

***

How Much Diet Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

square diet: 3 meals and 2 snacks. Perhaps 7-9-12-4-7:

morning tea: 7 / 7:30, give or take a few hours

breakfast: 9 / 9:30, give or take a few hours

lunch: 12 / 12:30, give or take a few hours

afternoon tea: 4 / 4:30, give or take a few hours

dinner: 7 / 7:30, give or take a few hours

An alternative, perhaps, is 9-12-4-7-9: an evening snack instead of morning tea.

spare diet: 3 meals. Perhaps 9-12-6:

breakfast: 9 / 9:30, give or take a few hours

lunch: 12 / 12:30, give or take a few hours

dinner: 6 / 6:30, give or take a few hours

air diet: 2 meals. Perhaps 11-5:

brunch: 11 / 11:30, give or take a few hours

high tea: 5 / 5:30, give or take a few hours

I lack the discipline to follow an air diet, I think. A spare diet seems ok.

***

How Much Cardio Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

absolute min: 1 unit

comfortable min: 2 units

comfortable default: 3-5 units

comfortable max: 8 units

absolute max: 16 units

1 unit: perhaps 12 or 16 minutes.

***

How Much Logging Off Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

peak logging off: 10 & 5

mid logging off: 6 & 3

min logging off: 2 & 1

10 & 5:

log on: 7:30 - 8:30

log off: 8:30 - 6:30

log on: 6:30 - 7:30

log off: 7:30 - 12:30

log on: 12:30 - 1:30

8 & 4:

log on: 7:30 - 9:30

log off: 9:30 - 5:30

log on: 5:30 - 7:30

log off: 7:30 - 11:30

log on: 11:30 - 1:30

6 & 3:

log on: 7:30 - 10:30

log off: 10:30 - 4:30

log on: 4:30 - 7:30

log off: 7:30 - 10:30

log on: 10:30 - 1:30

4 & 2:

log on: 7:30 -  11:30

log off: 11:30 - 3:30

log on: 3:30 - 7:30

log off: 7:30 - 9:30

log on: 9:30 - 1:30

2 & 1:

log on: 7:30 - 12:30

log off: 12:30 - 2:30

log on: 2:30 - 7:30

log off: 7:30 - 8:30

log on: 8: 30 - 1:30

in the morning:

before 7:30: Never log off, never plead guilty, never surrender!

7:30 - 8:15: Consider the possibility of maybe logging off, someday

8:15 - 8:30: Start trying to log off

8:30 - 9: Continue trying to log off

9 - 9:30: Finish trying to log off

9:30 - 10: Logging off: stoppage time

10 - 10:30: Logging off: penalty kicks

after 10:30: Log Off II: This Time It's Personal

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

2 or 3 quick peeks, 1 or 2 slow porings.

Scholarship is the slow poring of hard words, sometimes.

times for quick peeks at the web (maybe):

1. after getting up

2. while out and about

3. while working

4. while exercising

5. while resting

times for slow poring over the web (maybe)

1. before falling asleep

2. after exercising

***

How Much Free Breakfast Buffet Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

plate 1: fruit, salad and / or savory

plate 2: sweet and / or coffee

For a South Indian breakfast buffet, the options seem to me to be:

plate 1:

A. paratha, sundal, curds, pickle + fruit

B. vada, idly, pongal + fruit

C. masala dosa + fruit

D. bread omelette + fruit

E. nothing + fruit

plate 2:

A. pastry + coffee

B. cake + coffee

C. pudding + coffee

D. biscuits + coffee

E. nothing + coffee

Somewhat to my surprise, there does not seem to be a Wikipedia entry for "sundal":

https://elitefoods.blogspot.com/2010/05/poom-paruppu-sundal.html

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/chana-sundal-recipe/

The wise heads will tap their foreheads and say that there's no such thing as a free breakfast buffet. But we who are not wise must first learn to beware of hotels bearing free breakfast buffets. But then learn not to look a gift breakfast buffet in the mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st21dIMaGMs

***

Next post: July 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Audio Combined With Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

2 types of audio, radio and record

2 types of web-surfing, broadsheet and tabloid

2 methods for web-surfing, quick peeks and leisurely perusals

2 devices for web-surfing, laptop and phone

2 quick peeks and one leisurely perusal for each type of web-surfing

audio:

1. listening to a record before getting up

2. a moment of silence while turning off the record and tuning the radio

3. listening to the radio while checking the phone and laptop

4. possibly listening to the radio or a record while at work

5. listening to the radio or a record while on a break from work

6. possibly listening to the radio or a record while at work or leisure

7. listening to the radio while reading the tabloids

8. listening to the radio while reading the broadsheets

9. listening to the radio or a record while falling asleep

10. listening to the radio or a record while supposed to be asleep

record listening sessions in a day:

1. pre-sunrise record

2. post-sunset record

3. finest work record #1

4. finest work record #2

radio listening sessions in a day:

1. morning radio while checking the phone and laptop

Checking the emails and the headlines, to make sure that a plane has not flown into a building, nor a boat into a bridge.

2. daytime radio while at work

3. daytime radio while on break

4. evening radio while at work or leisure

5. evening radio while reading the news

6. late night radio while falling asleep

web-surfing:

1. quick peek at the tabloids (pre-dawn / morning / midday)

2. quick peek at the broadsheets (pre-dawn / morning / midday)

3. quick peek at the tabloids (midday / afternoon / evening)

4. quick peek at the broadsheets (midday / afternoon / evening)

5. leisurely perusal of the tabloids (evening / night / pre-dawn)

6. leisurely perusal of the broadsheets (evening / night / pre-dawn)

I guess my current opinion is that no matter how thoroughly you read the news early in the day, you are still going to want to check the news at the end of the day.

***

How Much Diet Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

A pattern of eating I am liking at the moment:

spare diet rules:

1. high coffee at 9 / 9:30, give or take a few hours

2. high brunch at 12 / 12:30, give or take a few hours

3. high tea at 5 / 5:30, give or take a few hours

square diet rules:

1. morning snack at 7 / 7:30, give or take a few hours

2. breakfast at 9 / 9:30, give or take a few hours

3. lunch at 12 / 12:30, give or take a few hours

4. tea at 4 / 4:30, give or take a few hours

5. dinner at 7 / 7:30, give or take a few hours

I find myself wondering whether monetarists prefer rigid, fixed meal-times, while keynesians prefer meal-times with discretion, and long and variable lags.

***

Next post: June 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Diet Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

A pattern of eating I am liking at the moment:

morning snack: coffee and / or tea, possibly with a little something

breakfast: cereal and / or toast, possibly with the juice of an orange

http://www.wordcandy.net/2014-12-29-blandings-castle-by-pg-wodehouse

lunch: not sure

afternoon snack: not sure

high tea / dinner:

1. leftovers from lunch

2. curds and / or whey, possibly from a plant

3. tea and / or coffee, possibly with brambles and / or berries

***

How Many Sessions Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

session 1: pre-dawn / morning  / midday

extended range: 2:30 am - 2:30 pm

midpoint: 8:30 am

core (maybe): 7:30 am - 9:30 am

session 2: morning / midday / afternoon / evening

extended range: 6:30 am - 10:30 pm

midpoint: 2:30 pm

core (maybe): 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm

session 3: afternoon / evening / night

extended range: 2:30 pm - 2:30 am

midpoint: 8:30 pm

core (maybe): 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

My pattern at the moment, I think:

1. session 1: bed, bath . . . and beyond. 

Getting ready, plus a quick peek at the emails and the headlines.

2. session 2: field-work, desk-work, or playing hooky.

A break in the middle of session 2 is perhaps a good time to read the news.

3. A good break in between sessions 2 & 3

Usually, away from the desk.

4. session 3: desk-work, couch-work, or no-work

I am somewhat productive during session 3, at least till around 10-ish. My dad loved session 3, he was a real night owl. Possibly due to his roots as a college student in Pune, where he found a routine he liked, of taking it a bit easy during the day, going to a movie in the late afternoon / early evening, then working through the night, with his bare light bulb, and his solitude. Any time he faced some big deadline, or some nagging, worrying, errand, he would break out the heavy artillery: the evening bath, followed by the evening prayers . . . and then the evening work.

***

Big Talk:

***

The California primary results for US Senate seem to me a good picture of the electorate:

https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-senate

1. Adam Schiff: 32.5 %

2. Steve Garvey: 32.1 %

3. Katie Porter: 14.8 %

4. Barbara Lee: 8.6 %

5. Other: 12.1 %

The electorate can perhaps be described as:

1. One third moderate / center-left

Pro-progress, Pro-pragmatism

2. One third conservative / right

Pro-business, Pro-military

3. One sixth left / liberal, economic justice

Pro-labor, Pro-consumer

4. One twelfth left / liberal, social justice

Pro-equality, Pro-peace

5. One twelfth unaffiliated / independent / none of the above

Every segment of the electorate is important, and represents millions of people. But even in California, moderates and conservatives seem to matter the most.

***

Next post: May 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require? (II)

My current answer:

A slight variation on all those other dull routines.

1. waking up

2. winding down

3. yada yada yada

waking up:

1. wake up

2. stare out the window a bit

3. quick peek at the phone to check for urgent messages

4. get ready

5. leisurely peek at the phone, possibly while listening to a record (or a portion of a record)

6. stare out the window some more

7. get more ready

8. make the bed, etc. Move the phone charger from the bedroom to the study. Turn on the laptop

9. check laptop for urgent email and messages

10. quick peek at the laptop for email, messages, and the web, possibly while listening to a podcast (or a portion of a podcast)

11. 5 minute warm up

12. 5 minute meditation

***

How Much Diet Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

A pattern of eating I am liking at the moment:

morning snack: coffee and / or tea, possibly with a little something

breakfast: cereal and / or toast, possibly with orange juice

lunch: salad and / or soup, possibly with entree

afternoon snack: fruit and / or greens, possibly juiced

high tea / dinner: 

1. leftovers from lunch

2. curds and / or whey, possibly from a plant

3. tea and / or coffee, possibly with a little something

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

 

1. waking up

2. winding down

3. yada yada yada

waking up:

0. wake up

1. stare out the window a bit

2. quick peek at the phone to check for urgent messages

3. get ready

4. leisurely peek at the phone

5. stare out the window some more

6. make the bed, etc. Get more ready. Move the phone charger from the bedroom to the study

7. turn on the laptop. Quick peek at the laptop to check for urgent e-mails

8. 5 minute warm-up

9. 5 minute meditation

10. first breakfast / morning snack

11. exercise

12. quick peek at the laptop and phone to check for urgent e-mail and messages

14. shower / bath

15. second breakfast / brunch

16. quick peek at the laptop for email, messages and the web

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

The Quick and the Leisurely

1. a leisurely peek on the phone (perhaps in the pre-dawn / morning)

2. a quick peek on the laptop (perhaps in the morning / midday)

3. a quick peek on the phone (perhaps in the afternoon / evening) 

4. a leisurely peek on the laptop (perhaps in the evening / night)

One thing I am trying at the moment is to not clean the inbox until the late evening / night.

***

Back in the day, one of my favorite mixtapes was "Mara's mix". (Who is Mara? Good question.) That mixtape introduced me to a bunch of songs I loved, most of them well known. There was, however, one song which had lyrics along the lines of:

1. Our trip was beautiful

2. Everyone full of love

3. The memories shine like,

4. Like the stars above

5. You looked the same to me

6. Although it had been a while

7. When I stop and think of you

8. I will always smile

9. So good for me to know

10. That I have a friend like you

11. Although it was not what I

12. Set out to do

13. So much to talk about

14. Over the last few years

15. It's great to have memories

16. Without the tears

This is (obviously) too good to be my own. Yet I can't find any record of it online.

***

Big Talk:

***

https://jabberwocking.com/israeli-jews-strongly-favor-all-out-war-in-gaza/

https://en.idi.org.il/articles/52976

Kevin Drum points to a survey showing most Israelis support the war.

I guess my response is:

1. Even if you support the war, there is still a big difference between a war with 1000 civilian casualties, a war with 5000 civilian casualties, a war with 10000 civilian casualties, and a war with more than that.

2. The support for a political agreement has increased slightly

https://en.idi.org.il/articles/52976

We asked again (with some modifications) a question posed in January 2024, about support for a political agreement to end the war: “Would you support or oppose an agreement to end the war which includes the release of all the hostages, long-term military quiet with guarantees from the United States, and a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, in return for the release by Israel of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, an extended ceasefire, and agreement to the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state in the long term?”[1]

Whether due to changes in the wording of the question or to changes in the surrounding circumstances, the general trend is toward a greater degree of support for such an arrangement. In the Jewish sample, there is still a majority (55%) opposed to an agreement, but the share of those who would support it has risen from 29% to 37%. In the Arab sample, a majority of 77% (up from 69% last time) are in favor of an agreement, and only 9% are now opposed.

***

https://www.972mag.com/palestinians-gaza-exit-fees-rafah/

Via Atrios:

https://www.eschatonblog.com/2024/02/its-february-6-bitches.html

https://foreigndesknews.com/top-story/biden-administration-tells-israel-aim-to-wrap-up-war-against-hamas-by-january/

***

Orwell, in what I believe was his last published essay (May 1949), wrote that politics is "a profession in which one is a baby at fifty and middle-aged at seventy-five." One probably couldn't get away with claiming that eighty is the new fifty. It is perhaps more reasonable to claim, with the benefit of seventy years of progress in healthy aging, that four-score and seven is the new three-score and ten.

https://books.google.com/books?id=zaxG_3ivhVAC&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=%22baby+at+fifty%22+orwell

Old age brings challenges, but it also brings powerful strengths. Biden has conducted much of his presidency with the refreshing air of an old man in a hurry, an old man who has limited time to waste on nonsense.

I think Biden would probably be more popular if the democrats had managed to get affordable child care over the line. I think two of their top priorities for a Biden second term should be affordable child care, and affordable elder care. It felt very, very telling that Diane Feinstein's family was worried, or at least claimed to be worried, about how to afford her elder care.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/dianne-feinstein-medical-bills-18390184.php

https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/home-health-care-cost-18388134.php

***

Next post: April 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. winding down

3. yada yada yada

waking up:

0. wake up

1. stare out the window a bit

2. quick peek at the phone to check for urgent messages

3. get ready

4. turn on the laptop

5. untether the phone (if not untethered already)

6. leisurely peek at the phone

7. retether the phone

8. untether the laptop

9. leisurely peek at the laptop for email, messages, and the web

10. retether the laptop

11. move the phone charger from the bedroom to the study

12. retether the phone

14. stare out the window some more

15. 5 minute warm up

16. 5 minute meditation

winding down:

0. "quality" media. Reading, audio or television. No phone.

1. "light" media. Light television, with phone. Two great tastes!

2. Quality Media II: This Time It's Personal. No phone.

3. Turn off the television! Put down the book!

4. move the phone charger from the study to the bedroom

5. tether the phone, untether the laptop

6. leisurely peek at the laptop for email, messages, social media, and the web. A good time to read the newspaper.

7. retether the laptop, untether the phone

8. clip out articles from the newspaper, or from magazines, that you think are interesting

9. turn off the laptop, retether the phone

10. 5 minute cool down

11. 5 minute meditation

12. go to bed (eventually)

14. quality audio or reading, if you want

15. ambient background audio, if you want. My preferred background audio at the moment is podcasts, I think. But your ambiance may vary.

16. fall asleep

***

How Many Sessions Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

session 1: desk work or field work

session 2: desk work

session 1 usually ends with a shower

***

How Much Audio Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

2 types of audio, "radio" and "record". Podcasts are mostly radio. Audiobooks are mostly records.

record #1: pre-dawn / morning / midday

radio #1: critical hours radio. morning - evening

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_hours

record #2: afternoon / evening / night

radio #2: pre-sunrise and post-sunset authorization radio. evening / night / pre-dawn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-sunrise_and_post-sunset_authorization

***

How Many Times Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

morning, midday, afternoon, evening, night, pre-dawn

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

peek #1: pre-dawn / morning (4:30 - 10:30, 7:30) e.g. 7:30 - 8:30

poke #1: morning / midday (6:30 - 12:30, 9:30) e.g. 8:30 - 9:30

peek #2: afternoon / evening (2:30 - 8:30, 5:30) e.g. 4:30 - 5:30

poke #2: evening / night (8:30 - 2:30, 11:30) e.g. 10:30 - 11:30

***

How Much Breakfast Reading Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Perhaps 600 - 2400 words, perhaps around 3 to 12 pages of a book.

Gradually, one realizes that one can start a chapter during breakfast, without having to finish it.

***

Next post: March 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Morning Multimedia Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

25 minutes of audio + phone, 5 minutes of television.

In practice, I think I usually listen to more than 25 minutes of audio. But if I had the discipline to limit myself to 25 minutes, I would.

***

Big Talk:

***

https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/

I don't think Netanyahu is representative of most Israelis, in the same way that I don't think Hamas is representative of most Palestinians. It's tragic, I don't know how they get out of it. It takes a lot of energy to break out of a bad equilibrium, to a better one. And I suppose it's always possible to find an equilibrium that is even worse.

Since the first Gulf war, we have been living in the smart bomb era, where the world's most advanced military powers have some reason to believe they can impose their will with bombs of ever greater precision, and ever greater power. The hope of the era was that a benevolent hegemon would not drop those bombs except in the service of civilization, when there was no other choice. As the hegemons that surround us seem to become less benevolent, the fear of the era is that the bombs might be dropped for insufficient reasons, for bad reasons, or for no reason at all.

The right response, it seems to me, is to double down on benevolence, and to double down on the principle that a bomb should never be dropped, unless every other alternative has been tried, and tried for some time.

One of the important conversations of our time seems to me to have been between Gen. Wes Clark and the Bush military people after 9/11. "We read your book.", they reportedly said. "No one's going to tell us where we can bomb." After 20 years, it seems to me that democratic accountability, and democratic safeguards, in the choice of bombing targets is preferable to the ability to bomb whomever you want, whenever you want.

Under the Republicans, you get enthusiastic support for Netanyahu. Under the Democrats, you get unenthusiastic support for Netanyahu. Is there a difference? I think so. But maybe not enough.

The only thing I can think of is to go to Gaza and the West Bank, and to talk to the people there. Or at least to talk to people who have ties to Gaza and the West Bank.

***

On immigration, it seems to me important not to think in terms of all or nothing. Things that seem to me to be true:

1. It does seem to me to be important to have an immigration and refugee system where people do not have an incentive to cross oceans and borders to apply for asylum in specific locations.

I think I would prefer a system where asylum applications are judged by embassies in the country of origin, or near the country of origin.

2. "Avoiding bad incentives" does not mean creating a system where asylum seekers are tortured, and families are separated, until they agree to withdraw their applications.

3. The people who do cross oceans and borders to apply for asylum should be admired for their grit and courage, even if not all of them can get the golden ticket. It's the job of leaders on both sides of the border to channel that grit and courage towards positive ends.

4. The right number of refugees for a country to take is somewhere in between zero and infinity.

***

I suppose my fundamental picture of Robert Solow is of one of those solid, sensible, mid-20th century figures, looking, among other things, for some solid, sensible middle ground between socialism and laissez-faire.

Did he succeed? Not entirely. But he left us something solid and sensible to build on.

***

Recently I borrowed, from the library, the Criterion Collection version of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, as well as the Guinness versions of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People. Among the DVD extras were interviews with le Carré, an interview with Richard Burton, and a 2000 BBC documentary on le Carré, The Secret Centre, directed by Randall Wright. I felt the need to write some of it down.

The Secret Centre:

"1. I began to think that I was the plaything of ridiculous forces, on the one hand this racket-y criminality, on the other this toffee-nosed High School stuff, and I fled it, really . . .

2. He was talking about "die Fliegende Blätter der Art & Kunst", these were the terms of reference about the Goethean period, and I couldn't understand how you translate "Flying Leaves of Art & Culture".

He must after a while have identified me as some kind of stowaway, because he asked me to stay behind at the end of the seminar, and so I remained behind, I looked half the age of anybody else there, and really, if the discussions had been in English I wouldn't have understood it then, but they were in very, very cultural German, and about people I had never heard of.

I was sitting there with my thumb in my mouth, practically, and he said, "What are you doing here?"

And I said, "Well . . . I'm a refugee from England."

And he said, "Well . . . Then you'd better stay."

3. I waited, at the end of the Cold War, for something to tell us the world can now be reshaped, that endless standoff, as it seemed to us, between the two great economic monoliths, of the Western world, and the Communist world, was over. The excuses for exploiting the Third World, for imposing dreadful little dictatorships on them provided they were anti-communist, all those excuses had gone. Now something decent could be put together. A real sort of global Perestroika could occur . . . nothing happened. We went into a kind of collective Western atrophy of isolation and self-indulgence. . ."

Kenneth Tynan interview of Richard Burton, 1967:

"Tynan: Is there anything in the background of Wales, the cultural background, that specifically influenced your acting?

Burton: We had no actors, no actors! You know, for about forty years. I suddenly realized why we had never had any actors. Because all the actors, of course, went into the pulpit: the greatest stage in the world. You dominated a village, in a chapel, you stood hovering, like a great bird of prey, over the people in the village, and said, "I will tell you what is wrong with you! Let me examine your soul!" . . . the greatest pulpit in the world.

And then, suddenly, that particular kind of belief, went out. They were no longer stars, the great preachers of my childhood. They went out, and the first man, in Wales, to stop being a preacher, and start becoming an actor, was Emlyn Williams. And it was remarkable for all of us. There was this strange man, who had suddenly decided not to be a preacher, but to become an actor. And what a preacher Emlyn Williams would have made! He became a preacher in another sense."

John le Carré interview, 2002:

"Q. George Smiley is in many ways the quintessential English character. What is it about him do you think that appeals to Americans?

A. I think it fascinates them that there is nothing up front. That whatever is going on in him is very modest. He can't do all the things the Americans like to do. He dresses badly. He doesn't like cars. He's very thinky, he's very romantic as a figure. Wonderful at work, no good at his private life. Always, somehow, uncomfortable in what he's wearing and what he's thinking. One of life's meek who do not inherit the earth, was how I described him. And . . . somebody who carries his horse uphill.

I think Americans warm to him because he was so inaccessible, so unpurchaseable, so incorruptible, that he just set some standard of human decency, which very many Americans relate to. He was probably as anti-corporate as you can get. He wouldn't know a brand name if it got up and bit him on the knee . . ."

I loved Rosa Lyster's 2021 essay on George and Ann. It seems to be offline. A bit of it here:

https://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2023/04/george-and-ann-smiley-one-of-the-strangest-marriages-in-fiction/ 

***

Next post: February 29, 2024

Little Talk:

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

One or two peeks, one or two pokes.

peek #1: pre-dawn / morning

After waking up.

peek #2: morning / afternoon

Breakfast or lunch.

poke #1: afternoon / evening

Tea or dinner.

 

poke #2: evening / night

Before turning off the laptop and tethering the phone.

***

Big Talk:

***

I never met the man. So why do I think of him as "Charlie"? One of nature's Charlies, perhaps.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2023/11/23/why-charlie-peters-matters/

***

Next post: January 29, 2023

Little Talk:

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. morning / afternoon session

3. afternoon / evening session

4. evening / night session

5. winding down

waking up:

1. wake up

2. get ready

3. check e-mail & messages, turn on the laptop

4. go back to bed and stare out the window a bit

5. 5 minute warm up

6. 5 minute meditation

winding down:

1. check e-mail & messages, turn off the laptop

2. tether the phone

3. pace around and stretch a bit, stare out the window a bit.

4. 5 minute cool down

5. 5 minute meditation

6. fall asleep

Why do I seem to need so much dull routine of existence? Possibly because if you give me an inch, I may take an ell.

***

How Much Exercise Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Types of exercise sessions:

warm-up: 0-10 minutes

short: 10-30 minutes

medium: 30-60 minutes

long: 60-100 minutes

absolute min: 1 short

comfortable min: 2 short

comfortable default: 2 medium

comfortable max: 2 long

absolute max: 4 long

***

How Many Sessions Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

session 1: field work, possibly preceded by desk work

session 2: desk work

session 3: field work, possibly followed by desk work

I had been stalling on a bit of desk work that I found difficult. One day, I got an early start, around 7:30, and . . . kept going till I finished, around 4:30. Yay!

However . . . I took some short cuts to finish, short cuts which arguably reduced the quality of the work. And the things I had been planning to do after finishing, on that day, I did not in fact do. On the whole, "sitting down to do desk work every day between 7:30 and 3:30", is perhaps very productive, but I still did not find it entirely satisfactory.

Big Talk:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israel-hamas-war-day-26-live-updates-nov-1-2023/article67483247.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israel-hamas-gaza-palestine-war-conflict-live-updates-november-10-2023/article67520005.ece

I am grateful to Haggai Matar and +972 Magazine for writing this (via digby):

https://digbysblog.net/2023/11/09/explaining-the-crisis/

https://www.972mag.com/october-war-israelis-palestinians-historic/

Bad news from Israel & Palestine.

In trying to figure out what I thought about the bad news, I found I needed to substitute "LTTE" for "Hamas".

Can I agree with the statement, "The LTTE needs to be destroyed."?

To be honest, no.

Can I agree with the statement, "The LTTE needs to be eradicated."?

To be honest, no.

Can I agree with the statement, "The LTTE needs to be 'wiped out'."?

Again, to be honest, no.

Why can't I agree with these statements? Well, because LTTE terrorism is only half of the equation. The other half is justice and fairness for Sri Lankan Tamils.

The LTTE, at least its military wing, was, in fact, destroyed. I do not think the destruction of the LTTE was a great victory for humane values, over terrorism. I think the destruction of the LTTE was itself a crime against humanity. And, to be honest, I do not think it was necessary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullivaikkal_massacre    

What can I agree with? I can agree with the statement, "The LTTE is responsible for many actions of great evil. Those actions were neither legitimate, nor necessary. And it is just that the people responsible for those actions should be held accountable for them."

One of my favorite things about the Hindu newspaper is their "From the Archives" section, where they publish one article from fifty years ago, and another article from a hundred years ago. The articles they published for November 10:

"Fifty years ago | Egypt and Israel to sign package deal to-day"

https://www.thehindu.com/archives/from-the-hindu-archives-november-10-1973-egypt-and-israel-to-sign-package-deal-to-day/article67516523.ece

"A hundred years ago | Bavarian coup"

https://www.thehindu.com/archives/from-the-hindu-archives-november-10-1923-bavarian-coup/article67516692.ece

***

Next post: December 29, 2023

Little Talk:

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. morning / afternoon session

3. afternoon / evening session

4. evening / night session

5. winding down

waking up:

1. wake up

2. untether the phone

3. retether the phone

4. go back to bed and stare out the window a bit

winding down:

1. turn off the laptop

2. tether the phone

3. pace around and stretch a bit

4. fall asleep

***

How Many Projects Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Projects A, B & X. Projects A & B are perhaps less mysterious, project X perhaps more so.

A rhythm I am trying to keep at the moment:

1. 1 or 2 units of project A or B

2. 1 or x units of project X

project A can perhaps be thought of as "desk-work", project B can perhaps be thought of as "field-work", and project X can perhaps be thought of as . . . project X.

which reminds me of one my favorite jokes:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/ClueVCRMysteryGame

"I hear you're in business! What kind?"

"None of your business! My card."

On the card: "LYMAN GREEN. BUSINESS."

In my mind's eye, I misremembered the joke as:

"Mr. Green. I'm a Business Man. My card."

On the card: "Mr. Green. Business."

***

Next post: November 29, 2023

Little Talk:

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. morning / afternoon session

3. afternoon / evening session

4. evening / night session

5. winding down

waking up:

1. wake up

2. tether the phone

3. go back to bed and stare out the window a bit

4. change into work or exercise clothes

morning / afternoon session:

1. 5 minute warm up

2. check e-mail

3. 5 minute meditation

4. first breakfast (with coffee)

5. reading, perhaps writing

6. second breakfast, if hungry

7. exercise

8. shower

afternoon / evening session:

1. lunch

2. browse the news (if you want)

3. work (if you want. Perhaps, even if you don't want)

4. tea

5. work (if you want) 

6. clean the inbox (if you want)

7. read the newspaper (if you want)

8. break (if you want) 

evening / night session:

1. dinner

2. short walk after dinner (or something similar)

3. 5 minute cool down

4. check e-mail

5. 5 minute meditation

6. watch tv (if you want)

7. read (if you want)

8. work (if you want)

winding down:

1. untether the phone

2. turn off the laptop

3. pace around and stretch a bit

4. fall asleep

Besides being dull, this routine is probably a bit too rigid. Life will usually get in the way, I think. But, sometimes it doesn't.

***

How Much Technical Reading Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

absolute max: four chapters in a week

I have never read four chapters in a week. At least, not recently. But it's possible. I suppose.

comfortable max: two chapters in a week

I have read two chapters in a week.

comfortable default: one chapter in a week or fortnight

One chapter in a week is certainly possible. My current opinion, however, is that one chapter in a fortnight is more sustainable, and runs less risk of reading theatre, as opposed to the genuine article.

I do remember a funny incident when my younger cousin pretended to be able to read the newspaper, and improvised a comic strip in order to sustain the deception. Lies and deceit are perhaps the foundation of all good improv.

comfortable min: one chapter in a fortnight or month

absolute min: one chapter in a month or season

My idea of what "one chapter" means probably comes from The C Programming Language, by Kernighan and Ritchie. 8-ish chapters, 250-ish pages. Perhaps the right speed to work through K & R is somewhere in between two weeks and two seasons.

***

How Much Diet & Exercise Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

normal diet rules:

1. three meals and two snacks

2. 20-100 minutes of exercise a day

3. two or three treats

diet diet rules:

1. 40-200 minutes of exercise a day

2. three meals and one snack, or two meals and two snacks

3. one or two treats

4. get some exercise after dinner

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

two peeks and two pokes

peek #1: morning

peek #2: morning / afternoon

poke #1: afternoon / evening

poke #2: evening / night

rules for peek #1 (I think):

1. check email and messages

2. perhaps listen to 5 or 10 minutes of an audio book

3. perhaps a quick glance at the news 

4. consider avoiding the social media, the podcasts, and the bushes

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4519591/user-clip-america-stay-bushes

***

Next post: October 29, 2023

Little Talk:

***

How Much Coffee & Tea Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Somewhat to my surprise, I found that I was unable or unwilling to give up the morning coffee. I found that I enjoyed it, and I also felt the coffee makes it easier to read. My new plan is to possibly split breakfast into two, a first breakfast with coffee, and, if hungry, a second breakfast without.

A breakfast I am liking at the moment:

1. First breakfast: coffee, crackers, a biscuit, or two, and fruit.

2. Second breakfast (if hungry): fruit or fruit-juice, hummus or lentils, tabbouleh or dolma.

If that's not enough to appease the gods of iron absorption, well, then, they might have to get used to disappointment.

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. morning session

3. afternoon session

4. evening session

5. night session

6. winding down

waking up:

1. wake up

2. tether the phone

3. go back to bed and stare out the window a bit

4. turn on the laptop

morning session:

1. 5 minute warm up

2. check e-mail

3. 5 minute meditation

4. first breakfast (with coffee)

5. reading, perhaps writing

6. second breakfast (without coffee). If not hungry, second breakfast can just be combined with lunch.

7. exercise

8. shower

afternoon session:

1. lunch

2. browse the news (if you want)

3. work (if you want. Perhaps, even if you don't want)

4. afternoon break

evening session:

1. tea

2. read the newspaper (if you want)

3. work (if you want)

4. evening break

night session:

1. dinner

2. short walk after dinner (or something similar)

3. 5 minute cool down

4. check e-mail

5. 5 minute meditation

6. watch tv (if you want)

7. read (if you want)

8. work (if you want)

winding down:

1. untether the phone

2. turn off the laptop

3. pace around and stretch a bit

4. fall asleep

Besides being dull, this routine is probably a bit too rigid. Life will usually get in the way, I think. But, sometimes it doesn't.

***

How Much Audio To Accompany Desk Work Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

morning session: consider not listening to audio

evening session: listen to audio, if you want

afternoon session: not sure

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Two types of web-surfing, two peeks and one poke for each.

1. Broadsheet, fine print web-surfing

I wear sophisticated clothes, read sophisticated news, sophisticated socks, for my sophisticated shoes.

peek #1: morning

peek #2: afternoon

poke #1: afternoon / evening

My preferred method for broadsheet web-surfing (I think):

1. Quick glance at the news in the morning

2. Browsing the news in the late morning / afternoon / early evening

3. Reading the newspaper in the late afternoon / evening

2. Tabloid, red top web-surfing

Virtue needs some cheaper thrills.

http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2008/08/theology-of-calvin-and-hobbes-part-1.html

peek #1: morning

peek #2: afternoon / evening

poke #1: evening

I had a vague memory of "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Red Top Circus". But then the internet informed me that it was Big Top, not Red Top.

***

How Much Reading Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

types of reading:

1. glancing: quick look at the headlines

2. browsing: quick look at the headlines, the body and the links

3. reading: alert, unhurried

types of content:

1. "the gossip": tabloids, tabloid-based social media, etc.

https://scroll.in/article/920855/s-muthiah-1930-2019-the-man-who-taught-us-how-to-love-madras

". . . He accepted and relayed gossip with relish; he knew that gossip was the lifeblood of a city. . ."

2. "the news": blogs, websites, breaking news, news-based social media, etc.

3. "the newspaper": synthesized news, published on a schedule, and with community support

4. textbook, heavy reading

5. comic, light reading

What if the textbooks are happy and cheerful? What if the comics are hard-boiled and bleak? Good question.

Not super relevant, but back in the day, I read a book by Shakuntala Devi, which had a section on acronyms for Pi:

May I have a large container of coffee?: 3.1415926

How I like a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy chapters involving quantum mechanics: 3.14159265358979

approximate times for reading (I think):

1. quick glance at the gossip before tethering the phone

2. heavy, textbook reading after tethering the phone

3. light, comic reading after heavy reading, or in place of it

4. quick glance at the news in the morning

5. browsing the news in the late morning / afternoon / early evening

6. browsing the gossip during an afternoon or evening break

7. reading the newspaper in the late afternoon / evening

8. heavy, textbook reading before or during the late evening

9. light, comic reading after heavy reading, or in place of it

10. browsing the gossip, again, after tv, after reading, after work, before turning off the laptop 

***

Next post: September 29, 2023

Little Talk:

***

How Much Exercise Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Types of exercise sessions:

warm-up: 0-10 minutes

short: 10-30 minutes

medium: 30-60 minutes

long: 60-100 minutes

1. A session, possibly shortish, towards the beginning of the day

2. A session, possibly shortish, towards the end of the day

3. A session, possibly not so shortish, towards the middle of the day

In a day, two of the sessions will be optional. One of the sessions will be not so optional.

***

How Much Diet & Exercise Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Normal diet rules:

1. Three meals and two snacks

2. 20-100 minutes of exercise a day (one or two short, an optional medium)

Diet diet rules:

1. 40-200 minutes of exercise a day (one or two medium, an optional long)

2. A window for the main meal of the day. My preferred window (I think): 12 - 3:30, for the lunch, with the utensils, in the conservatory, or the dining room.

3. Be careful what you eat before the main meal of the day

4. Be careful what you eat after the main meal of the day

5. Be slightly less careful what you eat during the main meal of the day

I think of this diet, God help me, as the MMm-bop BA-Duba-dop diet. (Main Meal, Before, After, During). 

Do I lose weight on this diet? Ha, no. At least, not usually. But . . . sometimes I do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBaPI2AKu2g

***

How Much Coffee & Tea Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. A nice cup of coffee, before the long walk

2. A nice cup of tea, after the long walk

3. So, let's have another cup of coffee. Or, let's have another cup of chai.

What if you are not, and do not intend to ever go, on a long walk? Well, the metaphorical long walk, then. The long walk in the sky, so to speak. The miles to go before you sleep. The miles to go before you sleep.

2023-07-31 update: Alas. Sic transit gloria coffee. The test results were not too bad, but came back with a mild iron-deficiency. At least, the borderline of a mild iron-deficiency. So, apparently, a man requires less coffee & tea. Possibly, a lot less. Changes I am considering making:

1. Cutting out the morning coffee, replacing it with a morning orange, or orange juice, or tomato juice.

"Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. I love tomato juice!"

2. A cup of coffee and / or tea later in the day, one or two hours after lunch.

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Two or three peeks, one or two pokes.

 

In terms of label:

peek #1: morning

peek #2: late afternoon / early evening

peek #3: night

poke #1: work

poke #2: home

 

In terms of time:

peek #1: pre-dawn / morning

peek #2: afternoon / evening

peek #3: evening / night

poke #1: morning - evening

poke #2: evening / night

In terms of function:

peek #1: after waking up

peek #2: long break from work

peek #3: before falling asleep

poke #1: work, short breaks from work

poke #2: before turning off the laptop for the night

 

In terms of content:

peek #1: a chapter of an audio book, a short podcast, messaging, e-mail, a bit of web

peek #2: a bit more e-mail, a bit more web, chatting and cleaning your inbox while listening to audio or watching video

peek #3: audio books, podcasts, one last look at the web

poke #1: blogs, periodicals, funny papers, working papers, funny working papers, requests for comments, comments, SMERSH

Light reading, for a late afternoon break.

Heavy reading, for a late afternoon . . . refreshment.

SMERSH is Howard Simons' immortal phrase for Science, Medicine, Education & Religion

poke #2: Sunday papers: anything and everything.

My preferred method for newspaper-type web-surfing, I think:

1. First, the messaging and the e-mail.

2. Next, the web.

3. At some point after slaking the web thirst, download the newspaper, on the laptop, and give it a once over.

Currently, I am enjoying taking screenshots of my favorite articles, and storing them in a scrapbook folder.

4. Last, possibly another pass through the messaging, the e-mail, and the web, ending with a clean inbox.

5. Good times for newspaper-type web-surfing (I think): before tethering the phone in the morning, after the afternoon session, before the evening session.

The idea, I think, is to prefer broadcast to narrowcast, and to prefer a date and a volume and an issue number, to 24/7 infinite scroll. But perhaps not to be too fanatical about it.

***

How Much Mitigation For Phone Addiction Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. Wake up

2. Tether phone

3. Go back to bed and stare out the window a bit

4. 5 minute warm up

5. Turn on laptop

6. Check email

7. Morning session 

8. Short walk, or something similar, during or after the morning session

9. Untether the phone at some point after the morning session

10. Retether the phone at some point before the evening session

11. Short walk, or something similar, before or during the evening session

12. Evening session

13. 5 minute cool down

14. Turn off laptop

15. Untether phone

16. Fall asleep

Good reasons to untether the phone:

1. Taking pictures.

2. Chatting.

3. Listening. 

4. Waiting for the Call.

***

How Much Work Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

A Fibonacci work ethic:

1. Start work as early as 7:30 or as late as 11:30

2. Finish work as early as 5:30 or as late as 9:30

min: 5 (11:30 - 5:30)

max: 13 (7:30 - 9:30)

default: 10 (9-10ish - 7-8ish)

By "work", I mean any activity. 

There are, perhaps, two kinds of people in this world: those who find it easier to work from 5:30 to 7:30 in the morning, or those who find it easier to work from 9:30 to 11:30 in the evening. (I am, definitely, the second). If you push yourself to work those two extra hours, you can, perhaps, push your max hours from 13 to 15. Perhaps. But then it wouldn't be a Fibonacci work ethic, would it? It would be like a Five and Dime work ethic, or something.

***

How Much Progress Report Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

One progress report a week, written on Friday.

***

How Many Stages Of Le Tour De Jour Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

Stage 1: Waking up, tethering the phone

Stage 2: Field-work, exercise, or heavy reading

Stage 3: Field-work, exercise, heavy reading or heavy writing

Stage 4: Light reading on the laptop, light reading on the phone, light reading neither on the laptop nor the phone, light television

Stage 5: Writing II: This Time It's Personal

Stage 6: Turning off the laptop, burning down the house

By "field-work", I mean anything away from the desk.

I sometimes find it difficult to write until I have done at least a little exercise.

***

Next post: August 29, 2023