Mostly non-political miscellany

Think of this as the Sunday magazine section. Some featurish items which may be of interest from this week's WP:

On the power of Dickens:

When Thackeray, whose "Vanity Fair" was then being published to wild acclaim, first read the scene of young Paul's death in "Dombey and Son," he famously -- and rightly -- cried out: "There's no writing against such power as this -- one has no chance!" For anybody who wants to know more about this dynamo of Victorian letters, Michael Slater's superb biography is the one to read.

Nien Cheng, RIP

Her captors responded with beatings. So tightly handcuffed that she feared losing her hands and confined in a frigid cell too small for her to lie down, Mrs. Cheng lost her teeth, caught pneumonia and had hemorrhages. She defused the misery by laughing at her accusers.

"Far from depressing, it is almost exhilarating to witness her mind do battle," Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote in the New York Times review of her book. "Even in English, the keenness of her thought and expression is such that it constitutes some form of martial art, enabling her time and again to absorb the force of her interrogators' logic and turn it to her own advantage."

I've added Life and Death in Shanghai to my reading list.


If you ever hear these words, act on them immediately:

On Jan. 2, an ear, nose and throat specialist pulled her aside. " 'If it were me, I'd get her out of here,' " he advised, adding that her daughter's illness "has exceeded the capacity of this hospital."

Boarding school, practical for the affluent but how can it be good for the family?

Forney said he misses his 12-year-old sister at home in Dale City. Their mother, Renee, said the feeling is mutual. And even Forney's father, who was supportive of the boarding idea, showed a crack in his usually stoic facade on the early September weekend his son was packing his bags.

He dug up videos of his son's childhood, Renee Forney said. Images of a time gone by flickered on the screen.

Terra cotta warriors come to DC

It was in 1974 that a group of farmers, digging a well outside the town of Xi'an in central China, discovered the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled the country from 221 to 210 B.C. It had been underground for more than 2,000 years. As they excavated, Chinese archaeologists discovered a vault with thousands of figures, including 2,000 soldiers, 100 chariots, 400 horses and 300 cavalry horses. It is estimated that 700,000 workers participated in building the underground complex, an effort that lasted more than 36 years. The warrior sculptures were lined up in formation, arranged to protect the emperor in the afterlife.

Astonishing.


And from the blogosphere:

Take two minutes to watch this video of some American heroes, via Carol. Project Valor IT continues.

CMR brings us some strange and terrible moral gymnastics from an ordained minister/late-term abortionist.

From Big Hollywood, the wonders of Godzilla.
Even better, the wonders of John Ford. (Also, parts 2, 3, and 4.)

From Liz Lemon, the allure of the Fatty-Fat Sandwich Ranch or "I'll have a carp po boy with extra chuckle." More Liz Lemon here. The first minute is brilliant. (I'm going to remember that creative scented-candle app.)

A shout-out to Grandpa John/Steve! And a bonus from Gramps: something very scary.

A couple of treasures from MotorCityTimes. First, a video I could watch over and over. And second, congratulations to Steve on his first blogaversary (sp?). He celebrates with this vintage video which I know many boomers will remember, in spite of themselves.


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