De Doc's Institute for Memetic Engineering And Polymaths' Pursuits

For DRACO is come amongst us!

Congratulations, Rosemary and Dean!

(Yes, I know; that’s not precisely standard usage. But when congratulating successful births, I always give primacy of place to the mother. That goes double for C-sections, even if they went smoothly.

Eccentric, you say? Fine. Write me back when you’ve had abdominal surgery, and we’ll chat.

Heh.)

Perhaps not. But I defy you, gentle readers, to read this appreciation of Alton Tobey and not be moved.

If you are of a certain age, you’ll remember The Golden Book History of The United States, and those numinous paintings. It’s amazing to think of them being painted in but eighteen months… and the next time someone drones on about the artistic bankruptcy or commercial art, tell them to go get stuffed.

Tobey was not, I think, a da Vinci, or a Rembrandt. Nonetheless, he was an gifted master of his art, and consistently produced works of beauty. No small accomplishment, that.

Thanks to Virginia Postrel for the pointer.

‘Nuff said.

Time to sharpen wits and pens…

I propose “Eurosclerotic":

… The report says: “Either European countries adapt their workforces, reform their social welfare, education and tax systems, and accommodate growing immigrant populations [chiefly from Muslim countries] or they face a period of protracted economic stasis.”

The report which this article cites apparently predicts “… that the European Union will break-up within 15 years unless it radically reforms its ailing welfare systems.”

The UKIP might wish to take note.

Oh, and it gets better.

Who wrote this report?

The CIA.

Unless you’ve read The Professor this morning, or Free Will, it’s unlikely you’ve seen or heard tell of this report. I wonder why the MSM thought the CIA was newsworthy on Iraq, but not on Europe…

Heh. No, I don’t really wonder at all.

I share the skepticism expressed by commenters at Free Will about the timing. The CIA has less than admirable track record for economic analysts. And yet… Consider this sobering rejoinder, found on said comment thread:

Additional cause for my concern is my deminishing faith in the Central Intelligence Agency.

I agree wholeheartedly, but it’s worth noting that there’s nothing in that report that hasn’t been reported in the mainstream media for years, and, in fact, concluded by the EU’s own research projects years ago. They’ve been hurtling towards disaster for years, and they don’t know how to stop. I question that idea that it’ll happen within 15 years, though.

Unless you’re French, and subscribe to the Apres moi, le deluge school of civics, I can’t see that it matters over much whether the collapse takes place in 15 years, or at some indeterminate time… considering the trends are so clearly limned that even the CIA can see them.

If you’re a fan of The Chronicles Of Narnia, go and take a look here, as the artisans of WETAanother door into Faerie.

I am old enough to remember when movies like LOTR, or this current project, would be essentially impossible.

And now…

The back of my neck is all a-tingle.

WOW.

Go view the featurette.

Had you shown me this publicity piece two years ago, I would have thought it some kind of odd prank:

… (Battlestar) Galactica delivered 2.2 million viewers aged 25-54 and 1.9 million among those aged 18-49. The show won a decisive victory over UPN’s Star Trek: Enterprise, outperforming its new episode in total viewers, among adults million vs. 1.7 million) and million vs. 1.5 million). …

Galactica is trouncing the Star Trek franchise? You must be JOKING.

But the joke’s on UPN, and Viacom; the SciFi Network is laughing all the way to the bank. And, very possibly, to the Hugos.

Some of you will remember that I had a harsh opinion of this version of BSG. I still think that calling this show “Battlestar Galactica” is right up there with Verhoeven’s naming his bughunt movie “Starship Troopers".

That being said, the post-9/11 sensibility that Moore’s bringing to the project is apparently paying off. Reviewers from the UK are enthusastic about the stories they’ve already seen, and enjoying the fact that for once, US fen are envying UK fen – not vice versa. This new series is garnering a LOT of attention and interest, and I can’t find it in my heart to be too grumpy. Decent media-SF is hard to find, and if the new BSG team can continue to do good work, putting out a quality series…

well, I’ll consider it atonement for Earthsea, and call it even.