TERENCE RATTIGAN IN LONDON

Terence Rattigan's plays, The Browning Version and Harlequinade, are included in this Book of the Month.

I read The Browning Version (acting edition, published by Samuel French Ltd.) a few days before the conference in London. On September 26 it was an amateur reading of the play. Two of the conference organizers (Richard B. and Adam S.) were at the stage. It was a splendid performance with great acting. [Editor's comment: I wished they had taped it.] After the reading, it was time for Scott McConnell's lecture, The Greatness of Terence Rattigan.

The following paragraph is taken from my notes from the lecture. The text is not a verbatim report of the lecture, but part of the sentences and wording are coming from Scott McConnell's speech. [Editor's comment: I hope Scott McConnell will write an article on Terence Rattigan sometime in the future.]

Terence Rattigan's took an intellectual approach to writing by showing, not telling. He didn't want to "spoon feed" the members of audience with what they should think and feel. Instead, he involves the audience by integrating the characters' soul with the people watching the play. He manages to induce certain emotions in the audience and you get the opportunity to understand your own values. "He makes you think, therefore I feel." Scott McConnell said that the play had twelve conflicts and three climatic points. He picked a couple of scenes (e.g., "The Himmler of the lower fifth" scene with Andrew Crocker-Harris and Peter Gilbert, the crying scene with John Taplow giving A.C-H. a verse translation (The Browning Version) of The Agamemnon, and the last scene with A.C-H and Millie C-H.) from the play, in order to highlight how Rattigan puts thought and emotion together in an integrated way.

I had an interesting conversation with Scott McConnell at the lunch, and he gave me a good suggestion on why I am enjoying the black and white movie version of Terence Rattigan's Winslow Boy. It is interesting to compare the older version with the movie from 1999.

I want to the watch the movie versions (1951 and 1994) of The Browning Version. If you want to read movie reviews, go to David Hayes' site.

Have you read Aeschylus' Agamemnon?

I will post a couple of photos from London, but first I have to figure out how to export the pictures from my camera to my computer by using a gadget called ImageMate CompactFlash USB reader/writer...

THE PRODUCER ADVOCATE

Carter Laren informed me by email that he had added EGO to his blogroll. I have added a reciprocal link to The Producer Advocate. Here is the text from his bio page:

Carter is a part-time free-lance writer and Producer Advocate. He is also a former editor and contributing writer at Capitalism Magazine, where he primarily focused on self-defense and national-defense issues. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Carter was a regular columnist for The Pitt News.

In his spare time, Carter instructs both law enforcement and fellow citizens in the defensive use of firearms and is a student of the martial arts.

For my link policy, please go to the About category and read my disclaimer and FAQ.

LONDON

I am on my way to an Objectivist conference in London. Please check out my list of links and the different carnivals, e.g. Reason Roundup. Go to my other blog and read posts on my virtual pet, chile peppers, music, and shops I want to visit in London. Cheerio!

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: FDA IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH...

Recently our class in project management (international project coordinator) visited AstraZeneca. It was fascinating to learn more about the company and its progress on the market. It must have come as a shock for the management to hear about the Food and Drug Administration's decision to reject AstraZeneca's blood thinner drug called Exanta. CommentWire reports:

Although Exanta has already been approved in a number of European countries, news of the FDA panel's decision led to a dramatic slump in AstraZeneca's share price as analysts had previously forecast that ximelagatran would be approved for all of its indications. (Datamonitor, 09/16/04.)

Do you think that the "consumer" (read: pressure) group, Public Citizen, has acted behind the scene?

It is time for real progress in the field of medicine. Recommended reading: A "Band-Aid" on the FDA by Gary Hull, Ph.D. Here is an excerpt:

The FDA exists to keep products off the market. Its purpose is not to evaluate new drugs; private manufacturers already do that--as do private scientists, doctors and pharmacists--far more rationally than does the FDA. But such entities cannot force you to accept their judgments. The FDA, however, can. The agency's function is to prohibit the individual from judging which sources of information and recommendation to rely on--to prohibit you from weighing your risks and benefits--to prohibit products you deem valuable to your life. (The Ayn Rand Institute, 09/14/97.)

Related: My post, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE.

ATEFEH RAJABI

This entry is an update regarding my post, ATEQEH SAHALEH (08/23/04). Here is an excerpt from FrontPage magazine's symposium, Why the Mullahs Murdered Atefeh Rajabi:

Donna M. Hughes: Rajabi talked back to the judge, reportedly insulted him and said that the real perpetrators of moral corruption should be punished not the victims. That sounds like an accusation to me and possibly a threat. Does the judge know who these real perpetrators are that she referred to? We know that judges and other officials have been caught running prostitution rings. In her outrage at the unfairness of the charges against her, one account said she "undressed in court," although according to Alasdair Palmer in The Sunday Telegraph (August 29, 2004), she only took off her headscarf. [Editor's note: Here is the hyperlink to Alasdair Palmer's article, Death and the maiden in Iran.]

To us in the West, that seems like such a small act of defiance, but to the Islamic fascists, it is a threat to their entire ideology and system of social control. A woman or girl pulling off a headscarf is a challenge to the whole theocratic terrorist state. If a girl is allowed to get away with it, the whole system will start to crumble. ...

The Iranian theocracy cannot be reformed. Iran is a dictatorship based on the ruling principle of velayat-e fahiq which means rule by the supreme religious leader who has "guardianship" over the entire country. (Jamie Glazov, 09/17/04.)

For further discussion, go to Activist Chat's Forum.

KEY PHRASES BY BLOGPULSE

Check out "prominently mentioned phrases across today's weblog entries." The RSS feed is powered by FeedSweep. Don't miss the Campaign Radar 2004 @ BlogPulse.

DEUTSCHE WELLE WEBLOG AWARDS 2004

I have suggested Cox & Forkum's blog to Deutsche Welle's site "The BOBs" - Best of the Blogs (nomination categories: Best Weblog and Journalistic Blog - English). Thanks to Gerd Stodiek of Bordbuch for the reminder.



Remember that you could start voting for the best political blog on Washington Post.com on September 27.

RELEASE SAID MOTALLEBI

From Reporters Without Borders:

Said Motallebi, father of journalist Sina Motallebi living in exile in Holland from where he runs the news site www.rooznegar.com, was arrested in Tehran on 8 September. (Reporters sans frontières / rsf.org, 09/14/04.)

Read Hossein Derakhshan's post, Crackdown on reformist websites - wrap up. [Via Jeff Jarvis.] Here is an excerpt:

Last week they arrested the father of Sina Motallebi, well-known Iranian blogger who was himself arrested last year for three weeks which created a big splash both in the blogosphere and the mainstream press. After a few months, he fled to Netherlands where he started to write about his horrible situation in detention and described the ugly interrogation methods used by Iranian secret police and judiciary agents in great detail. (Hoder.com, 09/14/04.)

Related: My post, THE MULLAHS IN IRAN.

UPDATE 09/16/04: News flash! I have been contacted by an Iranian blogger. F.A. is working at Radio Free Europe / Liberty / Farda. She has asked if I am interested in answering some questions during a telephone interview.

UPDATE 09/17/04: I look forward to Farin Assemi's report on the situation in Iran. In the meantime, please read Golnaz Esfandiari's article, Iran: Generation Gap Widening As Conservatives Try To Enforce Islamic Social Codes. Here is an excerpt:

The gap is quickly widening between the Islamic values promoted by Iran's conservative rulers and the demands of Iran's 35-and-unders. Many young Iranians have no interest in politics or tradition. Instead, they just want more social freedom -- freedom of expression, freedom to meet members of the opposite sex, and freedom to listen to the music of their choice. (Rferl.org, 12/09/03.)

UPDATE 09/19/04: Said Motallebi has been released. From Hossein Derakhshan's post, Bloggers protest against crackdown:

A big campaign has been organized by Iranian bloggers to protest against the recent arrests and the violent crackdown on the Internet. (Hoder's blog Editor: Myself, 09/18/04.)

[Editor's comment: Could you inform me more about the news site called Emrooz?]

GIVE THE CEOS MORAL SUPPORT

I think that Del Jones of USA Today should read Ayn Rand Institute's press release, CEOs Flocking to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

Here is an excerpt from Del Jones' article, America loves to hate dastardly CEOs:

About the only villains left are terrorists and CEOs — and terrorists will probably be portrayed as sympathetic long before CEOs, says Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. ...

Get used to it. CEOs have long awaited the promised production of the movie Atlas Shrugged from the 1957 Ayn Rand novel that portrays business leaders as heroic and society's saviors. The screenplay is supposedly being written, but that's been reported before. (USA Today, 09/15/04.)

It looks like Atlas Shrugged will be produced by Baldwin Entertainment Group instead of Crusader Entertainment...

TERRORIST CONFERENCE AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

It is not only in Sweden you could find a "Palestinian solidarity conference." Read Lee Kaplan's article, Duke's Platform for Terror. I wrote a comment on FrontPage magazine's site.

NEWS FROM THE AXIS OF EVIL

Here are some news items from three members of the axis of evil. I include Hong Kong due to the fact that it "belongs" to communist China.

• North Korean blast not a nuclear test. Read Rebecca MacKinnon's post, Marmot's excellent explosion coverage.
• Iran seeing opportunities to capitalize on turmoil in Iraq. Read Steve Forbes' article, Ticking Bomb. [Via Free Iran News.]
• After Hong Kong Election, China Faces New Calculus. Read Simon's post, The results.

CARNIVAL OF CAPITALISTS AT D-42.COM

Josh Cohen at D-42.com has done a great job with this week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists. I think he has described my entry in a very good way. Here are some of my favorite entries:

• President Bush vs. Senator Kerry by Gongol.com.
• Google solves the Micropayment Dilemma by Thoughts and Observations.
• "Fair Tax" by The Picket Line.

Now it is time for Reason Roundup!

50 DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION

Now it is only 50 days until the election. I agree with Jeff Jarvis that it is time to focus on the important issues of this political campaign, instead of spending all the time on old "stuff"... I suggest that go to The Secular Foxhole and The Charlotte Capitalist and read Blair's and Andy's take on Bush versus Kerry. Do you want some crazy alternatives of candidates? Check out Ron Gunzburger's "online guide to American politics."

PERSONALIZED NEWS AND WORD OF THE DAY

I have added personalized news articles and blog posts. This service is powered by Findory Inc. The word of the day is: Assiduous. I have added the WordThink feature to the Resources category.

I RATHER WATCH 20/20 THAN 60 MINUTES

From Robert Garcia Tagorda's post, Where Have I Been?:

Needless to say, you'll find limited discussion of proportionally spaced fonts, IBM Selectric Composers, and suspicious superscripts in these quarters.

[Editor's comment: I remember using an IBM's electric typewriter 670X back in the day. Don't you miss the "feeling" of the typewriter keyboard?] It is hard to keep up with my fellow bloggers on their "fox" hunt on the ra^ther biased crowd at CBS, so I direct you to Rathergate.com. [Via InstaPundit.] Here is an excerpt from CK Rairden's article, Dan Rather's Blunder: The Day Old Media Died?:

Bloggers are a unique breed, some use humor, some simple facts, and some a combination to cite opinion and report on stories. Most use the type of critical thinking that has long been lost in the old media. That's given them millions of consumers and the new media has used that power well and flexed its collective muscle in the last two months. They used their influence to push the SwiftVets story in August and literally stopped the Kerry camp for over a month. And now in September have derailed Dan Rather's attempt to derail President Bush and have dominated the coverage of the presidential race for the first 13 days in September. (The Washington Dispatch, 09/13/04.)

I miss John Stossel's segment on ABC's 20/20. I am stuck with 60 minutes...

Down From The Mountain


UPDATE: News Flash! For the record and on public demand. [Editor's comment: No comment... ;)] Shirtmaker Charles Tyrwhitt's Herringbone Blue Pyjamas is editor's choice. And now back to regular programming... Robert Tracinski is commenting on John Fund's article, I'd Rather Be Blogging (CBS stonewalls as "guys in pajamas" uncover a fraud.), in the following way:

The Wall Street Journal also has an amusing piece about how Internet bloggers--dismissed by a CBS News executive as "a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing"--have brought the "old media" to account. For the record, we would like to note that TIA's staff is almost always fully and appropriately attired when we compile TIA Daily. (TIA Daily, Commentary: "Guys in Pajamas" Take Down "60 Minutes", 09/13/04.)

EGO DONATION DRIVE

Do you want to FINANCE THE EGO CAMPAIGN REFORM & LONDON CONVENTION? I have now booked my airplane ticket at Ryanair. It is amazing how affordable flying is nowadays. It is about the same amount of money to go by plane today as it was going by boat (economy class) in the 1980's! Nevertheless, the British pound is pretty strong in comparison to the Swedish currency, so you are more than welcome to hit the tip jar if you want.

I don't expect "to become fabulously wealthy" on my blogging, but I want to take the opportunity to put on the sales hat and promote my blog a bit to potential sponsors and advertisers. If you are interested in placing an ad powered by Blogads, please send me an e-mail and I will give you information about a special deal for first-time advertisers. I could also provide you with traffic stats, site ranking, top search key words, and loyal reader "demographics" available to me (e.g., ball park figure regarding Bloglet, RSS feed, and CaféPress newsletter subscriptions).

I want to welcome Body In Mind back as an advertiser! [Editor's note to Dwayne: Maybe these news items could fit your news page? Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins is really "at the peak of her form," don't you think? For more information, go to Pageantry magazine and read Fred Abel's article, The Aussie Rules.]

RECIPROCAL LINKS

I have added the following blogs to my blogroll:

1. Diggers Realm.
2. The Quantum Menace.

TIME OF TERROR FOR MODERN PHILOSOPHERS

Cox & Forkum's cartoon, Heart Attack, is an accurate illustration on how I feel at the moment.



If you want to have guidance during these troubled times, don't count on mainstream modern philosophers like Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida. Here are a couple of quotes from Giovanna Borradori's book, Philosophy in a Time of Terror: Dialogues with Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida:

Habermas: Only in retrospect will we be able to understand if the symbolically suffused collapse of the capitalistic citadels in lower Manhattan implies a break of that type or if this catastrophe merely confirms, in an inhuman and dramatic way, a long known vulnerability of our complex civilization.

Derrida: As for states that "harbor" terrorist networks, it is difficult to identify them as such. The United States and Europe, London and Berlin, are also sanctuaries, places of training or formation and information for all the "terrorists" of the world. No geography, no "territorial" determination, is thus pertinent any longer for locating the seat of these new technologies of transmission or aggression. (University of Chicago Press, 2003.)

Confronting Terrorism III


Read letter Virginia L.L. Hamel's letter, Never let your virtues be used against you. Here is an excerpt:

Today, our men are being killed in Iraq as we try to kill the enemy on one hand while trying to make Muslims like us on the other. This is a self-destructive contradiction. We should decide if we are fighting a war or running a popularity campaign. We should order the enemy out of the mosques or blow them up. The mosques are a value to the enemy, not to us. They only respect force. Use it to save American lives. (Brookline TAB, 09/09/04.)

[Editor's comment: Have you read Virginia Hamel's book, In Defense of Ayn Rand?]

EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE IS NOT UP TO SNUFF

From AlertNet / Reuters:

A top European Court of Justice adviser questioned the validity of the bloc's ban on wet tobacco, known as "snus" and made by Swedish Match (SWMA.ST), but said on Tuesday it should remain in place for now.

Swedish Match shares were down 4.82 percent at 74 crowns after the news. The company said it would continue to push to end the ban, which has been in force since 1992, except in Sweden, which negotiated an exception when it joined the European Union in 1995. (EU court adviser questions ban on oral tobacco, 09/07/04.)

EU parliamentarian Gunnar Hökmark points out the double standard at the European Court of "Justice":

The EU bans tobacco advertising and runs anti-smoking campaigns, but at the same time pays nine billion crowns in support to southern Europe to produce 350,000 tons of tobacco. (Andy Butterworth, Snus snub for Sweden at EU court, The Local, 09/10/04.)

For more on this issue, read the following articles:

• Snuff firms sniff a profit in smoking bans (BBC).
• Blow for Swedish tobacco producers (EUobserver).

Take some time and read Swedish Match's press release, and then buy some "snus," or light a cigarette before it is too late...

Don't you think that "Captain Euro" and the bureaucrats in Brussels should spend time on more important things, e.g., on how to spell the Euro currency?! ;)

SEPTEMBER 11 RECOLLECTION

Here is a compilation of 9/11 posts, covering the following aspects:

1. Reflections on what happened on September 11, 2001.
2. Ideas on why it happened.
3. Pointing out who the enemy is and who is our ally in the war on terror.
4. Suggestion on how we should take care of the root of the problem.

• Blogs of War: 9/11: Three Years Later.
• Watch: Falling.
• Indy Media Watch: September 11 (hip-hip hooray!).
• Israellycool: September 11: Three Years On.
• Illustrated Ideas: 9/11.
• The Charlotte Capitalist: 3 Years Later: Iran's Ongoing Threat To Charlotte and the U.S.
• Capitalism Magazine: Hatred of Western Civilization: Why Terrorists Attacked America.
• The Rule of Reason: A More Substantive Proclamation.
• US Election 2004: Remembering Sept. 11 Should Lead to Action in War against Terrorism.
• The Azure Waters: Reflections on 9/11.
• Horror Unheeded: Never again.
• Priorities & Frivolities: Remembering 9/11.

For more links, check out Cox & Forkum's cartoon, That Day. [Editor's comment: Have you picked up a copy of Investor's Business Daily?]



Additional reading: My posts, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 and SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: DON'T FORGET, DON'T FORGIVE...

BLACK HOLES IN BLOGOSPHERE

With the knowledge of terrorist supporters having a conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the militant Islamic group, Al-Muhajiroun, hailing the 9/11 terrorists at a news conference in London, I have been staring at the computer screen without being able to write a post. I was not really afraid of disappearing in a black hole of the cyberspace, but I was thinking of taking a short break after I have been surfing around the blogosphere...

TERRORIST CONFERENCE IN SWEDEN

The youth organization of the "Communist Party Marxists Leninists (revolutionaries)" has invited members of the Palestinian Progressive Youth Union to attend a "Palestine solidarity conference" in Gothenburg, Sweden. [Hat tip to Corvvs.] I saw a segment on a talk show called Debate, and they said that one of the participants at the conference is a former airplane hijacker.

UPDATE 09/08/04:
Here is an excerpt from Paul O'Mahony's article, Terror Tax:

A leading figure in the worlds of aeroplane hijacking and suicide bombing, Khaled was issued an invitation to speak at a solidarity conference in the Gothenburg suburb of Västra Frölunda. The sporting proles, in conjunction with the Revolutionary Communist Youth (RKU) and the Palestinian Progressive Youth Union, asked her to come along. RKU and Proletären FF are both part of KPML®, the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (revolutionaries).

RKU can afford to invite terrorist speakers, as it recently received SEK 45,000 in conference preparation money from the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency, SIDA, which is funded by the taxpayer. In addition, according to Expressen, the football club of the proletariat retains its competitive edge with the help of SEK 170,000 in SIDA assistance received over the last number of years. (Stockholm Spectator, 09/06/04.)

ANOTHER UPDATE:
Read Mårten Barck's (Watch) translation (Terrorspeaker invited with taxfunding) of Ingvar Hedlund's article, Terrortalare bjuds in med skattebidrag (Expressen, 09/02/04).

LABOR DAY CARNIVALS

Joe Grossberg ends this week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists with the following order:

Now let's go celebrate the most socialist holiday in the US!

I am glad that America is not celebrating Labor Day in the same way as in Sweden... Here is an excerpt from Fredric Hamber's article, On Labor Day, we should honor our minds - not our muscles:

It is fitting that the most productive nation on earth should have a holiday to honor its work. The high standard of living that Americans enjoy is hard-earned and well-deserved. But the term "Labor Day" is a misnomer. What we should celebrate is not sweat and toil, but the power of man's mind to reason, invent and create. (Daily Press, 09/06/04.)

What are you eating on Labor Day? Any special dishes? This recipe sounds genuine American: CocaCola Briskit. [Editor's comment: Could you tell me more about the word "brisket"?] Do you want to "chew" some more? Read the Reason Roundup at the Charlotte Capitalist.

In order to participate in a future Carnival of the Cats, I have to take one of Blogo Slovo's lectures in "creative problem-solving"... By the way: I forgot to enter the "mug of the month" drawing... [Editor's note to self: Get XPad!;)]

UPDATE: DECK OF CARDS

It is more than six months since I updated my post, DECK OF CARDS, i.e. a complete list of "Iraqi Most Wanted." [Editor's update: Wizbang is "questioning" the timing of the announcement and Petrified Truth is asking: Ten million dollar man caught or not?]

King of clubs (#6) - Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri.

Go to The Command Post and Rantburg for reports on new signs of Osama bin Laden in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Could the rumor about the capture of Saddam Hussein's right-hand be linked to the shutdown of Al-Jazeera and the new US-funded satellite channel, Al-Hurra?

The Guardian journalist, Rory McCarthy, reports from Baghdad [via Diggers Realm]:

The error was all the more embarrassing because Iraqi officials chose to break the news to al-Hurra, the new, US-funded satellite channel which was intended to bring a more reliable and credible news service to the Arab world. (Error over Saddam deputy, Guardian Unlimited, 09/06/04.)

If you want to know how popular the new channel is in the Middle East, read Paul Cochrane's article, Is Al-Hurra Doomed? Here is an excerpt:

Radical leftist writer and Middle East analyst Tariq Ali, during a recent visit to Beirut, told The Daily Star that Al-Hurra was like Pravda (Truth), the official newspaper of the Soviet Union that was notorious for its propaganda. "Like Fox TV News, it is 100 percent U.S. propaganda," he said. He contended that it wouldn't be able to rival other pan-Arab channels, despite the mixed reviews Al-Jazeera gets in certain political circles. "The Arab left hate Al-Jazeera, but given that the world is dominated by U.S. images, it is a breath of fresh air," Ali said. (World Press Review, 06/11/04.)

Al-Jazeera has supporters at the Brock University in Canada. Here is an excerpt from Sean Wilson's article, Why Al-Jazeera is important for Iraqi democracy:

Can anyone else see the bias and special interests here? How can this network report the pulse of the people if it is so selective? Can a television network created to service the Middle East, broadcasted from the United States really report the news that Iraqi people want to see, or deserve? (The Brock Press, 09/03/04.)

Do you want to "kill" some time until the next update? How about playing a game of "Iraqi Most Wanted" Solitaire?

COMPUTER NOSTALGIA

This post will be a mish-mash of bits & bytes! [Editor's comment: Geeky introduction, don't you think?!;)] Read Douglas Kern's article, President Elect 2004 -- The Game. [Via InstaPundit.] I had a Commodore Vic 64, back in the day, but I never played President Elect 1988. [Editor's comment: Do you know any good Linux strategy / sim. games?] Read Lucy Sherriff's article, Happy birthday, the internet. [Editor's note: Shouldn't it be the Internet?!;)]

THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT IS WRONG

As a recap, read my post, 100 DAYS UNTIL THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. It is now only two months to go... Have you decided who you should pick yet? I don't think that this is a good sign:

Party Disfavors


In the news:

In an interview with SIRUS satellite radio, the Internet's Drudge Report said Wednesday, Keyes called Mary Cheney "a 'selfish hedonist' because she is a lesbian." (Washington Times / UPI, 09/01/04.)

It looks like the Cheney family is attacked by the religious right. Read Lorraine Woellert's article, The GOP's Strains Are Showing.

I will listen to Leonard Peikoff's statement on the upcoming election, as soon as I get a Linux audio player installed on the new computer. For more on this issue, check out the discussion at Objectivism Online Forum and read the posts A Vote for Bush and Bush for President.

I wonder if this third party candidate is using the phrase: "peace out, dawg"...

UPDATE 09/03/04:

From George F. Will's article, A Goldwater Revival:

The reemergence into Republican respectability of conservatism with a socially libertarian cast -- Goldwaterism -- is a development with a large potential to discomfort the Democratic Party. The reemergence can make the Republican Party more appealing to many young and suburban voters, two cohorts in which Democrats have recently made substantial gains. (Washington Post, 09/02/04.)

Here is Robert Tracinski's comment on the above mentioned article:

There are two sides to the low profile of the religious right at the Republican convention. George Will names the good side: the Republicans are sending a message that non-religious pro-free-marketers are welcome in the party. But he is wrong in thinking that we can turn the clock back to 1964--because the other side of the story is that the religionists still provide the main moral foundation for the right. (TIA Daily, Commentary: Goldwater Returns?, 09/02/04.)

Here is an excerpt from Todd Gitlin's article, The Left Learns from Goldwater:

That is, if they're smart. The post-Goldwater Republicans were smart. Despite what looked like a calamity, they didn't bolt from the GOP. They didn't break off as a third party, though some of them dearly wanted to. Will the rebellious left discipline itself, cool its boiling blood, and decide that the pleasures of sectarianism are worth less than the steady resolve of infrastructural work? (Washington Monthly, September issue.)

TERENCE RATTIGAN

Maybe the choice of this Book of the Month, i.e., Terence Rattigan's The Browning Version, could give you hint... I am going to the Objectivist conference on September 24 - 27! Have you seen The Collected Plays of Terence Rattigan at Fred Weiss' Paper Tiger bookstore?