Throwback Thursday: Just Let Me Read

Detail from Death of the Virgin

There's a big hullabaloo going on behind this dude, and all he wants to do is read. I know that feeling. Boy, do I know that feeling.

Quote of the Day: 28 February 2019

“[G]row vegetables, not government[.]” -Cliff Maloney

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 27 February 2019

This week's selection from the log of local police activity is a story about a budding entrepreneur. 

February 21
A caller reported that his son was taking his gaming system out of the house. The youth advised he was renting it to a friend in order to earn a little spending cash.

This is a case where I hope I would be better than what appears to have happened here. For one, I hope I'd be better about knowing what's going on in my son's life, and that I had a relationship with him such that if he were to rent out belongings, he would let me know. Secondly, I'd probably encourage the rental. It shows initiative. And he'd have to find something else to do with his time.

Quote of the Day: 27 February 2019

“Stories always have their own truth.” -Patrick F. McManus

Quote of the Day: 26 February 2019

“[Y]ou can’t help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right[.]” -Rabbit

Quote of the Day: 25 February 2019

“Think. While it is still legal.” -@1minutetomidnit

Quote of the Day: 24 February 2019

“Many laws permit or even promote abortion, but to us this is a great evil.” -Dallin H. Oaks

Quote of the Day: 23 February 2019

“[S]imply knowing that something is possible drives others to figure it out.” -Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

It fits my experience

Gotta say, the design of this shirt on Woot matches my experience. There are very few movie adaptations of books that I have found to be very good. Largely, I think that is because the mediums are so different. Things that work on the written page won't work on the big screen (or little, if you prefer, as I generally do.) For instance, the very common third person limited viewpoint from much of fantasy or sci-fi literature, or especially first person viewpoint used heavily in YA fiction don't translate well to movies. On the other hand, there are things that you can show with a facial expression (by a good actor) that would take too much page real estate to be worth putting in a book.
Then there's the fact that books are a collaboration between the author and the reader. So much of what goes on in the reader's head is left to the imagination of the reader rather than being strictly textual and deliberate by the author. Therefore, any fans of a book seeing a movie made of it will have so many of his expectations challenged that it will be very difficult for the movie to live up to the book for that reader. People experiencing the movie first don't have that problem though.
There are a few exceptions. The Princess Bride is one, and, for me, How to Train Your Dragon is another.
My preferred option would be for the movie studios to license the world the book creates, and tell original stories within that world. The stories would better fit the medium (visual versus textual) and the length would be more conducive to a movie's running time.

Quote of the Day: 22 February 2019

“‘[T]he tyranny of the majority’ is now generally included among the evils against which society requires to be on its guard.” -John Stuart Mill

Throwback Thursday: Portrait Props

Detail from Two Male Saints

Holding props for portraits is not as common as it once was. Though the practice has not entirely gone away. However, back in the day, the selection of props was pretty poor. This guy just plucked a branch off some nearby plant and held that up. I guess he thought it was compulsory.

Quote of the Day: 21 February 2019

“Rudeness doesn’t necessarily imply untruth[.]” -Adolin Kholin, Oathbringer
[There's something to be said for being tactful in your delivery. On the other hand, as you hear messages, you should be strong enough to realize that a gruff delivery doesn't invalidate the message.]

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 20 February 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity brings us a tale straight out of the tin foil hat brigade.

February 9

• A man called police to report the Vatican hacked his intellectual property as evidenced by his failed Internet connection. Officers were able to convince the man that the Papacy was most likely not involved.

I haven't met many conspiracy believers who would be easy to convince that their preferred conspiracy, or really any they actually believed in, was not true. Either these officers have the patience of saints, or this guy was appeasing them. I don't know which though.

Quote of the Day: 20 February 2019

“Imagine how enjoyable it would be to fire a burst of twenty-five rounds into, for example, the U.S. Tax code[.]” -Dave Barry

Quote of the Day: 19 February 2019

“[A]nger is not an idea, and outrage ends up being a terrible rhetorical device.” -Greg Gutfeld

Quote of the Day: 18 February 2019

“In looking forward to the moment which is intended to terminate the career of my public life, my feelings do not permit me to suspend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude which I owe to my beloved country for the many honors it has conferred upon me[.]” -George Washington
[Happy Presidents Day. I long for the days when we had, if not a great man at least a good man, as president. Though it hasn't been the case for at least a decade.]

Quote of the Day: 17 February 2019

“God lovingly assures us, no matter where we are or what we have done, there is no point of no return. He waits ready to embrace us.” -Gerrit W. Gong

Quote of the Day: 16 February 2019

“The idea of murderers organizing into a political movement and holding rallies seemed more far-fetched at the time.” -Scott Meyer

Quote of the Day: 15 February 2019

“You can never jump away from Conclusions. Getting back is not so easy. That’s why we’re so terribly crowded here.” -Canby, The Phantom Tollbooth

Throwback Thursday: Reading While Being Squawked At

Detail from Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits

I'm sure there is at least one person for whom this would be a desirable situation. Not me though. I don't want to be squawked at by a cormorant (at least that's my best guess what that thing is) while attempting to write.

Quote of the Day: 14 February 2019

“But love is blind and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit; For if they could, Cupid himself would blush[.]” -Jessica, The Merchant of Venice
[Happy Valentine's Day]

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 13 February 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week is about poor decision making.

February 5

• A caller reported that a vehicle hit their car and drove off. Officers located the driver nearby who stated they drove off so they could turn around and return to the scene; she was issued several citations.

 I don't know what it takes to decide this is the best course of action, but I assume that the individual in question has a history of poor decision making.

Quote of the Day: 13 February 2019

“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding; they learn by some other way—by rote, or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!” -Richard Feynman

Quote of the Day: 12 February 2019

“If everything were made affordable by government decree, there would still not be any more to go around than when things were prohibitively expensive. There would simply have to be some alternative method of rationing the inherent scarcity.” -Thomas Sowell

Quote of the Day: 11 February 2019

“A unicorn is nothing more than a big horse that comes to a point, anyway.” -Miss Tick, The Wee Free Men

Quote of the Day: 10 February 2019

“Just as we take His name upon us, He takes our sins and sorrows upon Him, and yet His ‘arm of mercy is extended’ to encircle us in the arms of His love.” -Paul B. Pieper

Quote of the Day: 9 February 2019

“There is just no talking to parents about their children—until they are ready to listen.” -Jordan Peterson

Quote of the Day: 8 February 2019

“The emotions of man are stirred more quickly than man’s intelligence[.]” -Oscar Wilde

Quote of the Day: 7 February 2019

“When the government makes loans or subsidies to business, what it does is to tax successful private business in order to support unsuccessful private business.” -Henry Hazlitt

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 6 February 2019

This week's selection from the log of local police activity is a tale of community police work done right. Maybe.

January 25

•  A man called police to announce that he was going to start seeking a job per the advice of a patrol officer who had spoken with him during the day about turning his life around.

Supposing this man is sincere, and carries out his stated objective, I am warmed by this. Let us hope he means it.

Quote of the Day: 6 February 2019

“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed.” -Daniel Kahneman

Quote of the Day: 5 February 2019

“Modern liberals are willing to use force, violence, even if it is by proxy, to make others conform as precisely as possible to their view of proper behavior.” -Joe Huffman
[I would likely have stated it as leftists rather than liberals, and I doubt this an urge felt only by leftists; but they do seem to have embraced it to a greater extent than most other ideologies.]

Quote of the Day: 4 February 2019

“[I]t is an observation as true, as it is trite, that there is nothing men differ so readily about, as the payment of money.” -Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 7

Quote of the Day: 3 February 2019

“The mind of man is the crowning creation of God, in whose express image man was made.” -Gordon B. Hinckley

Quote of the Day: 2 February 2019

“Today is tomorrow. It happened.” -Phil, Groundhog Day

Quote of the Day: 1 February 2019

“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.” -John Stuart Mill