Sequins & Scandals: Why figure skating's popularity is in freefall. And no, it ain't just the costumes.
Recently in Stuff For My Wife Category
- From The Walrus - A Russian Tragedy - on the death of the Russian village. It's approved by Mama-Lu, the real Lu-family russophile.
- On Point: radio interview with translators of new War and Peace edition. The NY Sun says it's too late to read the book, catch the movie instead. Also (via TSO), Newsweek (which has a snazzy new design, more compact and much more visually appealing than the old one): asks and asnswers the question: "Why do we need another translation of War and Peace anyway?" Also, the NY Review of Books calls it a triumph for the Russian language, "Tolstoy's Real Hero."
- Chronicles runs an article on Russian foreign policy from the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs that the journal Foreign Affairs wouldn't run without severe editing (the article is less than 2500 words).
- Former Russian political prisoner and curret opposition candidate for the State Duma Sergei Kovalev tries to explain "Why Putin Wins."
In addition to the release of Sacramentum Carititatis, today was also a noteworthy day in the Vatican due to the metting of Russian president Vladimir Putin with the pope.
No torment this time: Russian Literature in the Age of Putin
Well, just check out its airports.
- Danielle Bean's post on handling a toddling boy at Mass (see, we're not the only ones!).
- Rachel Balducci documento-blogs the effects of sugar on young human males.
Here's one for Mama-Lu:
On Point: Winifred Gallagher: House Thinking.
"Home," said Robert Frost, "is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in." But if that home is a house, how will it make you feel once you're there?
Psychology editor Winifred Gallagher has written a psychological tour of the American home, room by room. She calls it "House Thinking" but it's really about how houses make us feel - and why. About how we shape houses, and then they shape us -- for years, maybe for life. The alcove that enfolds. The shaft of morning sun. The intimate and the public faces. From Edith Wharton's bedroom to McMansion-land.
Hear about how our houses make us think and act and feel.
I listened to this show a while back, and Mama-Lu's reading the book. The interview was Very thought-provoking, though I'll let Mama-Lu comment (if she wants) on the details, as she is far and away the home guru of the family.
I will say that this gets to what I actually liked about Crunchy Cons. Both books speak to the need for a more reflective lifestyle. Whereas the home chapter of Crunchy Cons (like the rest of the book) deals with this in an ethical and environmental sense (where you live, size of house, etc.), Gallagher talks about tailoring our environment - be it by remodeling or simply moving stuff around - to our lifestyle. Changing our setup to reflect the needs of how we live - or how we want to live - can result in a more pleasurable living experience and overall peace of mind.
Simple Gifts: The Power of Classic Hymns from NPR. The inside story: "Simple Gifts" was the one hymn I vetoed for our wedding. Mama-Lu still chides me over it, but I'm pleased with the soundtrack we ended up with.
For Mama-Lu, here's the link to that radio show I told you about a while ago: On Point discusses Chekhov with a new translator of his plays.
Pregnancy does indeed make you stupid.
