A Red Letter Day!

Someone just got The Landmark Herodotus and Lost Battles. On the same day. Not that I have time to read either, of course. The Herodotus is especially tempting. Maps galore! But alas, it's now time to study French.

Hey Big Jim

Jealous much?

5. Marquette alumnus to present Tolkien Lecture

Dr. John Rateliff, a Marquette alumnus and author of the two-volume series The History of the Hobbit, will discuss his research on J.R.R. Tolkien on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m. in the Raynor Library Conference Center Beaumier Suites B-C. The Rateliff presentation, "'A Kind of Elvish Craft': Tolkien as Literary Craftsman," will be followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. The event is part of the libraries' celebration of the 50th anniversary of the acquisition of the Tolkien manuscripts.

Rateliff said that he selected the Department of English at Marquette for his doctoral studies because of the Tolkien manuscripts preserved within the Department of Special Collections and Archives. He has worked with these manuscripts for more than 25 years.

The event is free and open to the public. The general public should pre-register by calling 414-288-0591 at least 24 hours prior to the program. Anyone with a Marquette ID need not pre-register.

For more information contact Matt Blessing at 8-0591.

Prediction updates

Here was my prediction from March about our opening game starters:

QB - Demetrius Jones (Likely correct)
HB - Travis Thomas (Correct)
FB - Asaph Schwapp (Correct)
WR - David Grimes (Correct)
WR - Duval Kamara (Incorrect, though a boy can dream)
TE - John Carlson (Correct)
LT - Paul Duncan (Correct)
LG - Eric Olsen (Incorrect)
OC - John Sullivan (Correct)
RG - Dan Wenger (Correct)
RT - Sam Young (Correct)

DE - Trevor Laws (Correct)
DT - Chris Stewart (Incorrect)
DE - Pat Kuntz (Correct, but wrong position)
OLB - Morrice Richardson (Incorrect)
ILB - Maurice Crum (Correct)
ILB - Toryan Smith (50/50)
OLB - Anthony Vernaglia (Correct)
CB - Terrail Lambert (Correct)
FS - David Bruton (Correct)
SS - Tom Zbikowski (Correct)
CB - Ambrose Wooden (Incorrect)

By my math, I should have 9/11 on offense (assuming Jones starts) and 7/11 on defense (assuming Smith does not start) for a total of 16/22.

Now let's have a look at Jim's:


QB - Jimmy Clausen (Likely incorrect)
RB - Travis Thomas (Correct)
FB - Asaph Schwapp (Correct)
WR - David Grimes (Correct)
WR - Robby Parris (Incorrect)
TE - John Carlson (Correct)
RT - Sam Young (Correct)
G- Dan Wenger (Correct)
C- John Sullivan (Correct)
G - Matt Carufel (Incorrect)
LT - Paul Duncan (Correct)

DE - Trevor Laws (Correct)
NT - Chris Stewart (Incorrect)
DE - Derrell Hand (Prostitute)
OLB - John Ryan (Correct)
ILB - Maurice Crum (Correct)
ILB - Toryan Smith (50/50)
OLB - Morrice Richardson (Incorrect)
CB - Terrail Lambert (Correct)
CB - Darrin Walls (Correct)
FS - David Bruton (Correct)
SS - Tom Zbikowski (Correct)

That's likely 8/11 on offense and 7/11 on defense for a total of 15/22. By our agreement, I win his favorite book. Although I'm not particularly sure I want a first edition of Tolkein, Meus Vir. (That's Tolkein, My Hero, according to my online English-Latin dictionary.

Lingering Harry Potter Questions (No Spoilers)

Just a few inconsequential things I wondered about as I read the last Harry Potter book:

Why would the Ministry of Magic employ a pureblood wizard (Arthur Weasley) for a job involving understanding muggles? Surely there had to be an equally-qualified wizard who grew up in a home with televisions, lawnmowers, and combustion engines?

In the first book in the series, the Gryffindor quidditch team's beaters a\were Fred and George Weasley. In a dorm full of students aged 11 to 17, two 13-year-olds were the best beaters? In a position that seemingly requires strength and bulk, I can't conceive that they could have been the best. Further, I got the impression that they had started the previous year, meaning they may have been on the team at age 12.

Why was the entire defense against Voldemort left to a private collection of wizards? After Voldemort's first defeat, no one thought, "Hmm... maybe we should organize some sort of defense against any future super-badass evil wizards?" And no, the aurors don't count.

FAQ

Thought I'd take the opportunity to publicly answer some questions I've been asked recently.

Q: Is your son sleeping through the night yet?
A: No, although last night he had his longest stretch of continuous sleep yet, over 5.5 hours. It was the first night during which he only woke up once. Needless to say, it was enjoyable.

Q: Have you read Harry Potter yet?
A: No. We have the book, but my wife is currently working her way through it as I reread the penultimate book.

Q: Are you still supporting John McCain?
A: Yes, although I fear his chances are quite slim. I disagree with him on some pretty important issues, but I still think he gets the big picture better than anyone else out there. On a slight tangent, I'll probably throw up in my mouth a bit if Romney is the nominee.

I just wanna make an omelette!

So they're spinning off a commercial into a TV series? That's either the stupidest or brilliantest idea I've ever heard. I think there's an extremely good chance that this show will be horrific, but if anyone can salvage an idea like this, it's got to be the geniuses that brought us Tiny House. Indisputably my favorite commercial of the last five years.

As for bringing A Song of Ice and Fire to TV, that's quite exciting. I'm currently halfway through the third book in the series, and I'd recently been thinking about how the books would translate to a live action format. Like Jim mentioned, there are a lot of potential pitfalls, but the idea certainly has merit. And he's also right that a movie version of the books would almost certainly be disastrous, just because there are so much meat in each book that would have to be cut out. Regarding the concern about whether there will be a sufficient budget to accurately capture the series' people, places, and creatures, HBO tends to go all out for this sort of thing. Fans are much better off having it there rather than on any other channel.

Future TV Extravaganza

In the space of an afternoon I discovered the existence of two interesting upcoming TV series. The first is based on perhaps my favorite series of commercials:

That's right the Geico Caveman is coming to a sitcom near you. According to Variety:

"Cavemen" will revolve around three pre-historic men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern Atlanta.

Project, from ABC TV Studio, is penned by Joe Lawson, an advertising copywriter who was behind the "Caveman" ads -- as well as other Geico commercials (think the cockney-speaking Geico gecko, and the reality TV spoof "Tiny House").

Daniel Rappaport, Guymon Cassady, Will Speck and Josh Gordon are exec producers. Speck and Gordon, commercial directors who recently helmed the Will Farrell feature "Blades of Glory," are on board to also direct.

Though the idea is clever, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the show is doomed to failure.

Of considerable more interest is this article from Variety.

HBO has acquired the rights to turn George R.R. Martin's bestselling fantasy series "A Song of Fire & Ice" into a dramatic series to be written and exec produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

"Fire" is the first TV project for Benioff ("Troy") and Weiss ("Halo") and will shoot in Europe or New Zealand. Benioff and Weiss will write every episode of each season together save one, which the author (a former TV writer) will script.

The series will begin with the 1996 first book, "A Game of Thrones," and the intention is for each novel (they average 1,000 pages each) to fuel a season's worth of episodes. Martin has nearly finished the fifth installment, but won't complete the seven-book cycle until 2011.

Martin spins a fine plot, as Rico has testified. His books are so complicated that I'm glad they'll be able to devote a full season to each one. Trying to cram A Game of Thrones into a two hour movie would have been a disaster. Still, there are a few problems. First, I don't know how much money HBO has to throw around. It'd be a shame if the battles and exotic locations have to be cut or pared down. That's half of the fun after all. Second, I'm not sure I want to see it. Sure, the vast majority of A Song of Ice and Fire has the potential to be amazing, but it's a lot easier to read some of the stuff Martin writes than it will be to see it. Specifically from Game, I'm thinking of Dany's "romance" with Kahl Drogo and Tyrion's flashback to his peasant wife. Yuck. Reservations aside, I'm really looking forward to seeing Martin's characters come to life. I hope Game gets the treatment it deserves. A faithful adaptation would be one hell of a ride.

Book Report: What Happens at Mass

By Jeremy Driscoll, OSB. 135 pp.

I actually read this book over Christmas Break; a gift from my little brother. This is one of the most important books I've ever read. Driscoll does a magnificent job of explaining the Mass to the intelligent but non-expert reader. He does an especially good job of emphasizing the importance of the readings and of explaining (as far as possible) the consecration. My father, a theology teacher of over 25 years, says that Driscoll offers the best, simple definition of Mystery he's ever come across:

I would say that a mystery is a concrete something that when you bump into it, it puts you into contact with a divine reality.

When you attend the same event every week of your life, it's easy to become complacent. What Happens at Mass goes a good way towards shaking this complacency. Although slim, this book requires frequent rereading to truly begin to understand it.

Book Report: America Alone

Mark Steyn's America Alone is the most important book I've read in a long time. In just over 200 pages, Steyn lays out an absolutely devastating case for the impending ascendancy of Islam in Europe.

If you're an avid reader of Steyn, much of the material in this book will be familiar, as he reprints a lot of the material from his columns of the past few years. Still, to see it all together is a fascinating - and at times terrifying - experience. Looking at demographics and politics, Steyn concludes that in the upcoming conflict between Islam and "the West," "the West" will be represented solely by America (and possibly Australia). Simply put, a Europe that knows only appeasement and can't even procreate will not have the spine to face the Islamist threat.

This is the kind of book that can actually impact those who read it. Though Steyn is largely preaching to the choir, his use of statistical evidence could convince those who otherwise have not considered this issue thoughtfully. I plan on buying it as a gift for my dad on Father's Day, and I give it my fullest and heartiest recommendation.

Book Report: Twilight in the Desert

Twilight in the Desert is Matthew Simmons' extended argument that the days of cheap and easy oil in Saudi Arabia are rapidly coming to an end.

He seems to put forth a devastating case. He argues that contrary to popular opinion, the Saudis don't have the ability to increase their supply if and when world demand increases. He notes that so much of the nation's oil comes from a handful of aging fields that, if history and other oil fields are any guide, will soon go into rapid decline. He also argues that there are very few fields waiting in reserve that will be able to replace these "super giants" when they run out of oil.

I thought it was fairly ironic that I was reading this book as the worldwide price of oil plummeted to a two-year low.

My biggest qualm with the book is that it is too ambitious. Simmons wanted to write a book that convinced energy insiders and engineers that his research was correct. He also wanted to write a book that accomplished the same thing for educated, but uninitiated, readers. Consequently, it makes it difficult for those of us with no background in oil or engineering to truly engage in a conversation with the book. Simmons may be right, or it may be that I'm too ignorant to see his faults. I've read a few reviews of the book; generally it seems that financial publications really liked it, while scientific reviews were more skeptical.

Simmons also didn't address the one great question I had while reading the book. If he is correct, and Saudi oil is going to decline in the near future, why are the Saudis dismissing his report and claiming they have enough oil to satisfy the world for the next 30 years? If they were truly running low, wouldn't it be in their best interests for the world to accept that? It would certainly drive up the price of oil and allow the Saudis to maximize the value of the oil they have left. Maybe I'm mising something, but that was the one question that i felt was left hanging.

Ultimately, I can only recommend the book if you're already interested in the topic. Otherwise, it's too frustarting.

Up Next: America Alone, Mark Steyn's doom-mongering on the rise of Islamism in Europe and his recognition that only America will have the spine to combat it.

Book Reports: A Game of Thrones

Just got back from visiting family. A belated Merry Christmas!

This is the first installment of "Book Reports," where I will give a quick recap of the book I most recently read. Today's book is A Game of Thrones, the first novel in George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Ice" series.



What it's about: It's a story of political machinations and war among the ruling nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. It is the first of seven planned novels (four have been completed) in the series.

Why I read it: It was recommended by Big Jim.

What I thought: Like most fantasy series, the developments are slow in coming. The first few chapters didn't really engage my interest; indeed, I almost gave up reading it a few times. However, Martin constantly did just enough to keep me reading until about halfway through the book, at which point I was fully hooked.

Two things I really enjoyed about A Game of Thrones were the complex characters and the sense that anything could happen. The personalities are realistic, rich, and complicated. No major character is a monolithic bore. On the second point, nothing is off limits in this book. I honestly didn't know what was going to happen each time I turned the page, and I can't say that about many books I've read.

It was also a fairly quick read, once I got into it. I suppose the best recommendation I can give is that I will certainly read the next book in the series.

What I'm reading next: Twilight in the Desert, by Matthew Simmons. It's a book questioning the present state and future viability of Saudi Arabian oil.