Jon Carroll reports on his summer reading—Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England,—and proves yet again that he can turn out better stuff daily than most of us can hope for in a lifetime.
Have the changes in our diet in the past century constituted "a very large uncontrolled experiment that may have contributed to the societal burden of aggression, depression and cardiovascular death"?
While we're thinking about thinking, think about this: Recent research confirms that animals have language, experience complex emotions, and can apply abstract reasoning—including the assimilation of previously acquired information—to problem solving. So why do we think we're so special?
"Jets of carbon dioxide gas erupting from the ice cap as it warms in the spring carry dark sand and dust high aloft. " Oh, it's just springtime on Mars.
"A linkworthy piece of musical-cultural criticism," writes John Marks. I agree. Now if John Derbyshire had merely said Saturday Night Fever was the greatest movie ever, I'd have agreed to disagree. His passionate and specific arguments, however, have convinced me to see it again with an open mind.
Wait until you see their marching bands! In this performance: Piano Concerto No 2 by Shostakovich, Transfigured Night by Schoenberg, and Symphony No.10 by Shostakovich.