tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77748935860419849542024-03-28T22:29:41.178-05:00Margaret Ball's books and artBooks, life and occasional artMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-84918104240606674472021-10-17T13:19:00.000-05:002021-10-17T13:19:08.037-05:00Plague in the Renaissance: plus ca change...Found while researching for a fantasy novel:Much of the dread generated by epidemics was caused by the rigid restrictions on daily life, the threats and bullying of officials charged with enforcing them, and the abuses that inevitably resulted. The merchant Romolo Amaseo, writing from Bologna in September 1527, reported that the proclamations against the pestilence were “grandissima—very extreme”Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-729120326584147642021-03-29T11:51:00.000-05:002021-03-29T11:51:40.473-05:00Why is it always the hard stuff? Yeah, yeah, I'm really trying to stay away from politics, but the latest dispatch from the cancel culture wars has me rolling my eyes so far I can see the inside of my forehead. Some goofballs at Oxford have decided that sheet music is inherently racist. Huh?Well, it is predominantly white and sprinkled with little black dots. And as an untalented, very amateurish musician, I usedMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-51278920475317475012021-03-13T13:04:00.001-06:002021-03-13T13:04:57.586-06:00Etymology takes away the magic There was something about the word condottiere. It didn't conjure up a romantic image exactly - I do understand that the condottieri were not, by and large, nice people - but it seemed, oh, exotic? Dashing? Like this statue of Bartolmmeo Colleoni in Venice? So, the first book I picked up on the subject pointed out that etymologically, condottiere derives from condotta, which Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-61789358879887743702021-03-09T11:02:00.000-06:002021-03-09T11:02:55.310-06:00Escapism I'm taking a vacation from current events, because the daily onslaught on liberty, history and common sense has begun to depress me. Reading the news these days makes me feel as if I'm repeatedly hitting myself on the head with a hammer.So... following a bit of reading on 15th century Florence in the interests of keeping up with my online book club's study of Machiavelli, this magically Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-55568439998883835392021-02-16T12:16:00.000-06:002021-02-16T12:16:17.858-06:00The last time I saw this sign... ...was in Berlin. In 1966.Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-35594201490359661922021-02-12T13:28:00.000-06:002021-02-12T13:28:01.137-06:00A Modest Proposal I'm disturbed to find that in the current debate over transgender athletes, even right-leaning news organizations seem to be adopting what I find to be a completely false framing of the issue. Case in point: I just saw the headline "North Dakota House Passes Bill Banning Transgender Athletes from High School Sports Teams."But when I clicked over, the first sentence in the Daily Wire&Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-85645002056282253242021-02-10T12:25:00.000-06:002021-02-10T12:25:07.859-06:00Simplifying history My online book club is reading The Prince. I rather wish we'd picked Discourses on Livy instead, because I find Machiavelli's thoughts on republics more interesting and more relevant to the present day than his (possibly ironic; there's a lot of debate on that) comments on principalities. Oh well, c'est la vie. Anyway, his references in The Prince have made me realize how ignorant I amMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-63183523625453964712021-02-01T20:32:00.000-06:002021-02-01T20:32:33.196-06:00Sarah Hoyt nails it: this occupation is set to fail I've been slowed down by the lovely muscle relaxants the doc prescribed for my pulled back muscles, which he warned "might make you slightly drowsy." Ha. Make me fall asleep sitting up, is more like it. But while I've been dozing, others are paying attention. Today Sarah Hoyt described a fascinating parallel to current events... in the 17th century Spanish occupation of Portugal. (Me: What?Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-12021121485078500642021-01-25T16:36:00.000-06:002021-01-25T16:36:00.171-06:00The Fine Art of ProjectionI’m so old that I can remember the hysterical convulsions of
the Left following Trump’s election, and especially the hysterical predictions
that gays, Muslims, [insert group of your choice here] were about to be rounded
up and put into camps, if not exterminated outright.
At the time I thought, “Ok, these people are so over the top
it’s not funny. But as time goes on and nobody is persecuted at Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-85487078588977104142021-01-21T11:09:00.000-06:002021-01-21T11:09:10.587-06:00Yesterday's inauguration was a dreary non-spectacle. I saw some clips where FICUS shuffled on stage, put his hand on a Bible and mouthed the relevant words to an audience overwhelmingly - well, let's put it this way: if they'd sent the National Guard home and put reporters and cabinet members on a bus, I betcha Scooby-Doo's van would have held the remainder of the audience. Comfortably.I'm tryingMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-27490647001858546542021-01-18T13:59:00.000-06:002021-01-18T13:59:14.261-06:00Remembering remembering MLKNo, that's not a typo; one of my strongest memories concerning MLK is about the memorial service that was held at UT. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of students sitting on the ground in front of the Tower to listen to the speakers, and I was in the middle of that crowd. When a speaker announced, "We are ALL guilty of Martin Luther King's death," I stood up and made my way out of the Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-50289724134907692202021-01-17T11:40:00.000-06:002021-01-17T11:40:27.172-06:00A different interpretation of the recent putsch Over at Sarah Hoyt's place, there's been a bit of debate over whether the orgy of silencing actions represents fear on the part of the left (her view) or the cruelty of petty, cowardly bullies who suddenly think themselves safe from retaliation (mine). I don't intend to continue the debate here; there are arguments to support both sides, let's leave it at that. But I just read a&Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-80110398424669460532021-01-14T10:46:00.004-06:002021-01-14T10:48:18.110-06:00Aslan at the Stone Table This morning I was reading this list of companies that have moved to cut off President Trump and/or his supporters and donors and feeling mildly puzzled. Their complaints against the President seem no different from the ones they've been voicing for the last four years, and he's almost out of office. Why now?Without for a moment comparing President Trump to Aslan, I am reminded ofMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-50121402251440674002021-01-11T12:17:00.000-06:002021-01-11T12:17:18.115-06:00This doesn't violate Twitter's standards against violence because shut up Once again for the morning crowd: Hawley deserves to be skinned alive and rolled in salt. https://t.co/zrQG8oNCaA— Jonathan Gitlin (@drgitlin) January 7, 2021Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-33201893882499659612021-01-11T12:06:00.003-06:002021-01-11T12:06:46.854-06:00What he said (h/t: AoS)Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-23281599248223780542021-01-11T12:00:00.002-06:002021-01-11T12:00:48.341-06:00A matter of principleLarry Correia aptly summarizes the cost of sticking to the principle of letting businesses do their own thing in the face of Big Tech's current censorship spree:"In principle, I'm usually in favor of letting businesses do whatever they want. You know what else I'm usually against in principle? Bombing Japan. Yet strangely, after Pearl Harbor, circumstances changed, and things which were Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-87139287588542566272021-01-10T13:19:00.000-06:002021-01-10T13:19:48.366-06:00Dear Professor Turley: It's not a bug, it's a feature Law professor Jonathan Turley, no fan of the January 6 invasion of Congress, published an op-ed in The Hill yesterday warning Democrats of the danger of trying Impeachment 2.0 over Trump's remarks on Wednesday. Turley writes:"With seeking his removal for incitement, Democrats would gut not only the impeachment standard but also free speech, all in a mad rush to remove Trump just days Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-42221979297535215692021-01-10T11:00:00.001-06:002021-01-10T11:05:05.674-06:00It took 36 years for them to turn into their own nightmare Consider the transformation of Apple in just under two generations.1984:Apple smashes Big Brother2021:Apple, Amazon and Google ban ParlerMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-46223620954067185502021-01-09T14:06:00.002-06:002021-01-09T14:06:50.779-06:00Losing our freedom: gradually, then suddenly I've been watching the gradual part for many years, only occasionally poking my head up to scream, "Stop! This is insane!" at the people who wanted to force us all to mouth their politically correct platitudes. The pace has accelerated over the past year, as we've seen how many petty tyrants leapt on the "public health emergency" of a virus that was hardly more than a bad flu, as an Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-80076842017954199422020-04-27T12:45:00.002-05:002020-04-27T12:51:49.026-05:00Closing down the country This is probably going to annoy a lot of people, but I’ve just read a couple of persuasive articles urging people to speak out about the general lockdown imposed on us in order to “bend the curve” of serious cases and deaths. And it’s probably too late to change anything, because I also read articles saying that more and more people are ignoring their state-imposed rules; consider the crowded Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-86345444138890582842020-03-02T16:36:00.002-06:002020-03-02T16:36:33.151-06:00Planned hiatus... as opposed to the unplanned blogging hiatus of the last couple of weeks, when what attention I could muster was devoted to getting the first draft of the current book finished before my next date with the knee surgeon. That's done, the surgery is scheduled for oh-dark-thirty tomorrow morning, and I'll be back when I have something to say. Maybe a week, two weeks. Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-61007812900685763072020-02-12T12:58:00.000-06:002020-02-12T12:58:28.296-06:00The modern version of Cliff's Notes and condensed booksSo while avoiding work and browsing on the internet, I saw an article entitled, “Read more using these apps…”
Oh, goody! Maybe one of the apps would offer a better way to discover new writers I’ll like. Because Amazon’s recommendations suck, and downloading/deleting stuff from KU can get discouraging after the ninth or tenth hopeless loser.
Well, no. The article might better have been entitled,Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-81295527814961471742020-02-03T11:06:00.000-06:002020-02-03T11:06:13.097-06:00But what about the madrassas?Elizabeth Warren recently made a statement that, predictably, outrages much of the Right while much of the Left nods in agreement.
“States should focus on funding public schools, not private ones—especially not ones that maintain anti-LGBTQ+ policies. We must ensure every kid—especially LGBTQ+ kids—can get a high-quality public education.”
-Elizabeth Warren
Right-leaning columnists and writersMargaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-59460851071218442882020-01-17T10:55:00.000-06:002020-01-17T10:55:06.342-06:00Traveling in Europe half a century ago
Inspired by the discovery that I really need subtitles now to follow German-language movies that I haven’t already memorized (I can still follow The Merry Widow just fine, but Generation War was another story) I’ve been reviewing German via programs and audiobooks for a couple of weeks. It seems to be working in that my comprehension is improving, but now there is a different kind of Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774893586041984954.post-51873933924021361152020-01-04T11:19:00.000-06:002020-01-04T11:19:22.276-06:00Forget the flying cars, the rest is good!
One of the few good things about being an old codger is the sense of perspective. We may not have flying cars or moon colonies yet, but 2020 has a lot of features that I find more immediately useful than being able to zoom over the live oaks to the supermarket. (Grocery delivery, for one.)
90 percent of my favorite books are available as e-books and, for the first time since 1990, I can see Margaret Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18048775257764349955noreply@blogger.com4