Monthly Archives: March 2013

Dateline: Dubai!

You can’t try this at home unless you live at the world’s tallest skyscraper. And if you do live in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, don’t try it anyway. As reported by HuffPost, National Geographic photographer Joe McNally was not on assignment when he climbed a support railing and shot a picture straight down. Not an assignment but a mission to make sure he reevaluated his life insurance when he got back to earth.

The railing was part of the light assembly warning aircraft of the presence of a 2716 foot spire in their path. At least McNally would not have been hit by a plane.

McNally thanked his battered pair of shoes for getting him there. The next time you think you need a new pair of shoes, imagine looking down at them from 2700 feet.

I usually don’t…

But I’ll make an exception. Posting about where I am or what I’m doing seems all too vain. But I’m comfortable, I have WordPress up and I’m enjoying listening to Hot Jazz Saturday Night on WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio. iTunes users should be able to find it in their radio listing. Or – and this is assuming you enjoy jazz from the 20s to the 50s – at WAMU.org and listen live through their player.

While I’m at it – and this is assuming you delight in old time radio shows from the 30s to the 60s – tune in tomorrow for Ed Walker and the Big Broadcast also on WAMU. He’s a legend.

And hey, as I’m rolling along, sign up for free at Coursera and catch up with Philip Zelikow’s Modern World: Global History from 1760 course. UVA faculty member and author of the 9/11 report offering a free course on 250 years of global affairs? Alright. Don’t twist my arm.

There, if you’re not busy then now maybe you are. I’m sorry.

Dog Saves Girl

Now that’s news! I like this story out of Poland because:

1. The lost girl was 3.

2. The dog is a stray.

3. She fed it bread and it kept her warm.

A little girl wandered into the forest near her home and became lost in the marshes. The stray dog she played with most days followed her and stayed by her throughout the night. In the morning, rescuers found her after following the dog’s barking. She doesn’t own this dog but it feels tied to her, kindness repaid. And to think in most folklore a black dog following you is an omen of death. A simple story as sublime as any fairytale.

The 4 College Courses Every Young Writer Should Take

History. Philosophy. Psychology. Linguistics.

Note that I don’t list English. The best understanding of people and behaviour and the workings of language come from those four. English serves its purpose – not always the purpose of a writer. Anyone serious about writing should already know how to read text carefully upon entering post-secondary education.

English, as a discipline, can expose wonderful concepts and introduce exceptional mentors but is not unique in this. It can deepen understanding of the world through narrative but relies on those four core courses for that narrative. It’s not that English should be ignored. Only that it should not be viewed as a prerequisite for successful writing. The danger in pursuing English to become a writer is the danger of fiction eating itself.

Shaw! Shaw! Shaw!

Having just posted, I received an offer from WordPress to get more out of life with this quote from GB Shaw: “The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.”

Shaw would say that. Once, when he was young, he cornered Oscar Wilde at some get-together and detailed exactly his plans for a magazine. Wilde, once Shaw had finished his tour, said, “That has all been most interesting, Mr. Shaw, but there’s one point you haven’t mentioned – an all-important point. You haven’t told us the title of your magazine.”

“As for that,” said Shaw, “I’d call it Shaw’s Magazine.” And he banged his fist on the table, repeating “Shaw, Shaw, Shaw!”

At some point, Wilde was able to interrupt to say, “Yes, but how would you spell it?” Everyone with them laughed and to his credit, so did Shaw.