Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Wikipedia
Melbourne Cricket Ground, 1st January 1864


WikipediaFrom Wikipedia:

the first Intercolonial cricket match in Australia was played in Launceston, Tasmania between players from Port Phillip and Van Diemen's Land in February 1851

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Great 60 Minutes tonight:

Internet gambling-New Orleans is sinking-profile of Bono
New Yorker coverRecent New Yorker cartoons:

Pilot to exiting passenger:
"Hey buddy, how bout a little something extra for the landing?"

Framed sign behind a boss in his office:
"Surprises" (circle with line through it)

Marriage counselor, holding phone receiver, to couple:
"Excuse me for a moment. It's my idiot husband."

Woman to man at bar:
"No, really, I love it when you talk in sentences."

Woman to man on couch watching TV:
"You don't really know someone until you give him the remote."

Man to wife on couch at home:
"Let's just stay in and contribute to the disappointing weekend box-office."
Rats

ESPN.com

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Coming Distractions from ABC's The Note:

— Nov. 20, 2005: Sen. Joe Biden's (D-DE) birthday
— Nov. 21, 2005: Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D-TN) birthday
— Nov. 27, 2005: Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R-MN) birthday
— Nov. 28, 2005: President Bush travels to Arizona and raises money for Sen. Kyl's (R-AZ) reelection campaign, Phoenix, AZ
— Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 2005: Former President Bill Clinton, in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, travels to Sri Lanka and Indonesia and then reports back to the European Commission in Belgium
— Nov. 30, 2005: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) delivers a public address to Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
— Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2005: Republican Governors Association 2005 Annual Conference, Carlsbad, CA
— Dec. 1-3, 2005: Democratic National Committee's rescheduled fall meeting convenes, Phoenix, AZ
— Dec. 1, 2005: Attorney General Alberto Gonzaels addresses the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY
— Dec. 2, 2005: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) headlines a Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser, Louisville, KY
— Dec. 2, 2005: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivers a public address to Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
— Dec. 2, 2005: Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) birthday
— Dec. 2, 2005: Ret. Gen. Wes Clark's birthday
— Dec. 6, 2005: Special election in California's 48th congressional district to replace former Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA)
— Dec. 6, 2005: Former President Bill Clinton headlines a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) reelection campaign at Crobar, New York, NY
— Dec. 6, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Cambridge, MA
— Dec. 7, 2005: Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) is the special guest at South Carolina Democratic Party's First Annual Governors Appreciation Dinner featuring Jim Hodges, Ernest Hollings, Robert McNair, and Richard Riley, Charleston, SC
— Dec. 7, 2005: Sptizer for Governor gala fundraiser, New York, NY
— Dec. 7, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Ann Arbor, MI
— Dec. 8, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Chicago, IL
— Dec. 9-11, 2005: Florida Democratic State Conference, Orlando, FL
— Dec 10, 2005: DNC Commision on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling meets to issue final recommendation to Chairman Dean, Washington, DC
— Dec. 11, 2005: Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) birthday
— Dec. 11, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Austin, TX
— Dec. 12, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Houston, TX
— Dec. 12, 2005: Democratic Governors Association holiday reception, Washington, DC
— Dec. 13, 2005: Gov. Tom Vilsack's (D-IA) birthday
— Dec. 13, 2005: Special election on bond issues in Arkansas
— Dec. 15, 2005: Gov. Mark Warner's (D-VA) birthday
— Dec. 15, 2005: Republican National Committee holiday party, Washington, DC
— Dec. 16, 2005: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) signs books in Kansas City, MO
— Dec. 25, 2005: Evan Bayh's (D-IN) birthday
— Jan. 9, 2006: Alito confirmation hearings commence in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, DC
— Jan. 19-21, 2006: Republican National Committee winter meeting, Washington, DC
— Feb. 9-11, 2006: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convenes at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
— Feb. 15, 2006: Deadline for joint congressional bipartisan committee looking into governmental failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina
— Feb. 25-28, 2006: National Governors Association winter meeting, Washington, DC
— Feb. 27, 2006: DGA "Taste of America" gala, Washington, DC
— Mar. 9-12, 2006: Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Memphis, TN
— Apr. 27-30, 2006: Log Cabin Republicans National Convention, Washington, DC
— May 21, 2006: President George H.W. Bush (41) and Mrs. Barbara Bush serve as commencement speakers at the George Washington University, Washington, DC
— June 6, 2006: Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and ousted Chief Justice Roy Moore square off in GOP gubernatorial primary
— Aug. 4-7, 2006: National Governors Association Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC
— Aug. 25-28, 2008: Democratic National Convention
Time magazine

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Essays from the Sino-Platonic Papers collection I meant to read but ended up only skimming:

- Chaos in Heaven: On the Calendars of Preclassical China
- Silk Road Exchange in China
- Chinese characters and the Greek alphabet
Books&Culture magazineJohn Wilson and his magazine (disclosure: my former part-time employer) embody the kind of writing he speaks of in the last line here--the kind that appeals to "a diverse band of intellectually curious readers...":

It's fashionable to speak of "academic" writing with reflexive disdain. Certainly many books that proceed from the university presses merit such dismissiveness. But others are first-rate, and among these are many that deserve to be noticed not only by scholars within a particular academic sub-field but also by a wide and diverse band of intellectually curious readers both inside and outside the groves of academe.


John says this to introduce B&C's review of The Sinister Way.
Sound of Music Anniversary DVD: A Good Excuse to Post This Nifty Picture

NPR: Sound of Music

More from NPR (whose picture this is; lawyers, stand down), including a video clip of the opening scene.

For whatever reason, the only three movies I think I've seen more than 5 times are Sound of Music, Field of Dreams, and Dave. Maybe also Hot Shots Part Deux.