RIP Adam Zagajewski, my favorite contemporary poet. đ
Happy new year / public-domain day! đ¶ đ
Happy new year & happy public-domain day! The works coming out of US copyright protection this year are pretty impressive: Mrs. Dalloway, The Great Gatsby, The Trial; music by Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, & Fats Waller. Dukeâs Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a detailed overview.
Your annual reminder that Geri Allenâs A Child is Born is the pinnacle of Christmas jazz, and the title track is sublime. đ¶
Busy morning on the river
The Charthusian monks: brewing Chartreuse in the Alps during a pandemic
A fascinating essay in the NYT on the Charthusian monks, brewers of Chartreuse: “An Elixir from the French Alps, Frozen in Timeâ. It’s filled with amazing quotes & quips like: The days pass very quickly when youâre immersed in the shadow of eternity. Or, from the president of the Charthusians’ business: I am very scared always. Only three of the brothers know how to make Chartreuse â nobody else knows the recipe.
My favorite year-end list is always Ted Gioiaâs 100 favorite albums of the year. I guarantee youâll find something excellent you didnât previously know about.
(If you think 100 albums isnât quite enough, well, he includes 100 honorable mentions as well.) đ¶
Leibovitz on the Supreme Court & religious liberty đ
Supreme Court decisions rarely make for page turners, but the one handed down last night, siding with Jewish and Catholic groups opposing the draconian restrictions placed on religious services by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is an exception. In just 33 pages, the highest court in the land gave us a thrilling study in how the two tribes that compete for dominance in our ravaged America approach the world.
Shouldnât it be âphilosophy schimosophyâ? đ
Is there an anecdote that better describes our current moment than this one? Probably. But this one is exquisite. From *NY Mag*âs essay on the mess that is the NYT: The conversation turned into what more than one Times employee described to me as a âfood fight.â During the mĂȘlĂ©e, âOpinionâ columnist Elizabeth Bruenig uploaded a PDF of John Rawlsâs treatise on public reason, in an attempt to elevate the discussion.
The Politics We Don't Have đ
Most Americans want secure work, safe streets, healthcare, dignity, freedom, and a governing class that prioritizes them above itself. People want plenty else besides, of course, that politics cannot provide, like love and meaningâbut even a movement organized around the minimum would threaten entrenched interests in both parties. It would undermine the Democratâs dependency on Silicon Valleyâs surveillance economy, elite-driven offshoring, and embrace of corporate consumerism in liberation drag. And it would finish off the well-funded Republican party of fiscal responsibility and austerity politics underwritten by foreign policy and financial globalism.
Out this week: Songs from Home, beautiful solo piano from Fred Hersch. đ¶
