Things Noted Here and There

Paul Richard,"At the National Gallery, Beautiful Beginnings," Washington Post, 30 September, reviews"Masterpieces in Miniature: Italian Manuscript Illumination from the J. Paul Getty Museum," an exhibit that has just opened in Washington. This is exceptionally good journalism, reminding us of when a book was a rare and precious thing.

Michael Lind,"In Defense of Mandarins," Prospect, October. A mournful ode to the constraining influence of the mandarins. Thanks to Patrick Belton at Oxblog for the tip.

James Q. Wilson,"The Ties That Do Not Bind: The Decline of Marriage and Loyalty," Incharacter.org, n.d., outlines the case for marriage and two-parent households over cohabitation and single-parentage. Nonetheless, this report suggests that marriage continues its decline in Great Britain.

You should know about two new collective ventures: 1) Manan Ahmed proposes to create a"South Asia Sourcebook" of primary texts, maps, timelines, bibliographies, and syllabi on the net; and 2) Scribblingwoman has launched Mrs. Spectator's Coffeehouse,"a clearinghouse of online resources for researchers interested in the long 18thc." They both invite your participation. Thanks to Sharon Howard at Early Modern Notes for the tip. [ ... ]

A month ago, Clayton James Cubitt was a fashion photographer in Louisiana. After his home and his family's homes were destroyed, he rented an automobile and used his camera to make a visual record of devastation road on the Gulf. It's at Operation Eden. Thanks to Barista for the tip.

Rob MacDougall,"Cylons Are The New Tribbles," RoBlog, 29 September, and Caleb McDaniel,"Rob on Ivan Tribble," Mode for Caleb, 30 September, take on you know who and you know what.

David Wallace-Wells,"Free at Last," Slate, 30 September. Reading between the lines about Judith Miller, Bill Bennett, and the $100 portable computer.