MetaFilter posts tagged with james

American Verse Project

Fizz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:14:04 -0800

American Verse Project is assembling an electronic archive of volumes of American poetry. Most of the archive is made up of 19th century poetry, although a few 18th century and early 20th century texts are included. Notables Include: Edgar Allen Poe, Carl Sandburg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson (Series [1], [2], [3]), Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), James Russell Lowell. The full text of each volume is being converted into digital form and coded in Standard Generalized Mark-up Language (SGML) using the TEI Guidelines.(1) The volumes already online, which include books of poetry by a number of African-American and women poets, represent an interesting selection. In many cases, the texts selected are the only existing editions of the author's work.

In historical perspective.

markkraft — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:29:26 -0800

The fierce urgency of now and then. On May 24, 1963, concerned about the potential for race-related riots nationwide after Birmingham, Attorney General Robert Kennedy met with group of prominent black intellectuals and artists, such as Kenneth Clark, Clarence B. Jones, and Harry Belafonte, in a meeting organized by James Baldwin (YouTube 7:07... and also 6:27 and 6:28, if you're interested.) The tone of this emotionally wrenching meeting, however, would be greatly influenced by the presence of fifteen-year-old Jerome Smith, a nonviolent CORE volunteer who was being treated in New York for jaw and head injuries sustained after a brutal beating by segregationists in Mississippi. Kennedy, who at first tried to address the meeting with facts and figures, soon found himself on the defensive, confronted by Smith's revulsion for the very necessity of the meeting, and his unwillingness to fight a theoretical war in Cuba while American civil rights workers weren't protected at home, and were perilously close to renouncing nonviolence. "Kennedy said, as he had before, that his grandparents had encountered discrimination and now, two generations later, his brother was President; a negro would be President within forty years. Baldwin replied furiously, "Your family has been here for three generations. My family has been here far longer than that. Why is your brother at the top while we are still so far away? That's the heart of the problem.'"

S**tstorm

billysumday — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:38:55 -0800

China banks told to halt lending to US banks. Unemployment figures climb to a 7-year high. New home sales fall to 17-year low. Ruh-roh. Not everyone was caught so off-guard by this economic calamity and financial shitstorm. Everybody's favorite curmudgeon, James Howard Kunstler, outlined his vision of a resource-depleted and fractious America in his essay (and book) The Long Emergency in 2005. Also in 2005, James Fallows wrote a creative and intriguing essay called Countdown to a Meltdown (previously discussed here), in which a campaign staffer for a Presidential candidate in the election of 2016 writes a detailed memo outlining the paths by which America got itself into so awful a position. Is doomsday prophesy considered its own literary genre? If so, then certainly Joe Bageant would also have to be considered a member of the canon (with other curmudgeons discussed in this thread).

Spy Music

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:18:04 -0800

Spy music! Whether it's Lalo Schifrin's theme for Mission Impossible, or Jerry Goldsmith's theme for Man from U.N.C.L.E., or the greatest of them all, John Barry's iconic James Bond theme, you know it when you hear it. Now, for my money, the best spy music in recent years wasn't from a spy movie at all, but an animated superhero film: the action-packed theme and soundtrack for The Incredibles, in which the very talented Michael Giacchino was clearly (and brilliantly) channeling John Barry. And of course, you'll all want to head over here and see what your fellow MeFiers have lately been doing with the genre. [note: see hoverovers for link descriptions] And why did so many of your fellow MeFiers suddenly start posting "spy music" to MetaFilter Music? Ah, well, I knew you were wondering! You see, it was one of last month's MeFi Music Challenges, suggested by stavrosthewonderchicken! Yay!. And we need more of you MeFiers to supply us with good Challenge ideas. OK? OK!

Christie's breaks out in a cold sweat.

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:46:33 -0800

Coming in at just under $860,000, the take for the recently auctioned estate of James Brown fell well short of the two million that Christie's had hoped for. You'll want to browse the collection for yourself, of course. If I had the extra scratch, I'd have sure bought this.

Johnny Temple

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:29:06 -0800

Those familiar with the plaintive falsetto of Delta blues great Skip James will surely hear Skip's influence in the much lesser-known Johnny Temple's Evil Devil Blues, recorded in 1935, which features some delightfully unexpected melodic twists. And though Johnny Temple "never achieved stardom", he does have a Wikipedia page. The Johnny Temple YT clip is from PreWarMusic, who's posted several clips well worth your time and attention from early American music figures who aren't exactly household names. I really like this one, for example: Bed Spring Poker. Skip James, of course, has been featured in a number of previous MeFi posts.

Sing, Mr. Ambassador, sing!

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:29:37 -0800

Now that's what I call diplomacy! The US ambassador to Paraguay has become a music sensation in the country after recording an album of folk songs in the indigenous Guarani language. This same James Cason was a conservative darling for, among other things, hanging Christmas lights in Havana a few years back... this article lauds him for "getting under the skin" of the Castro regime. Here's his Wikipedia page.

Brand, James Brand.

crossoverman — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:12:22 -0800

Sebastian Faulks' Devil May Care sees the return of the literary James Bond to the 1960s. Published on May 28th in celebration of creator Ian Fleming's Centenary, the 007 brand name will also be back on the big screen in November - with Daniel Craig's second outing as the British Secret Service Agent in Quantum of Solace. As part of the Fleming Centenary celebrations, there is also a Radio adaptation of Doctor No, an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London, a set of James Bond stamps from the Royal Mail and the re-release of Fleming's most famous non-Bond work, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The character of James Bond can also be seen in the Young Bond series of books by Charlie Higson - the fifth and final book of the first series - By Royal Command, due out in September. A graphic novel adaptation of the first Young Bond novel, Silver Fin, will also be released in 2008. And if you ever wondered about M's secretary's life (!), the Moneypenny Diaries trilogy will also be completed this year.

Jeremiah Wright in context.

Pater Aletheias — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:30:34 -0800

Jeremiah Wright in context. More videos available from Trinity UCC via YouTube. Those provide the fuller contexts of the sermons. But to really understand what's going on, you need to know about James Cone, who is an enormous influence on Dr. Wright. He was and is a pioneer of black liberation theology: A good place to start: Dialogue on Black Theology. An interview with James Cone. Cone on Bill Moyers' Journal. Another interview with Cone. Cone's faculty page at Union Theological Seminary, NY. From other scholars: An Investigation of Black Liberation Theology.--article by Wayne House, professor of Biblical Studies. A Black Theology of Liberation--lecture notes from Church Historian Terry Matthews.

Sweet not-so-Baby James

Navelgazer — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:15:11 -0800

The press want something that'll sell copy. They pick up on the mental hospital, family stuff, try to invent some category of rock that I belong to, or perhaps they pick up on my drug problem. But it gets to the point sooner or later when you start to think about your kids: "What does your daddy do for a living?" "He plays the guitar and he talks about his drug problems." It's embarrassing to read the drivel that comes out of your mouth sometimes. So I guess maybe the question is, why am I doing this in the first place? And honestly, I suppose I'm doing it because I'd like to promote my record. -1979 . James Taylor is sixty today .

People in Order

spec80 — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:48:06 -0800

People in Order - Age. Love. By Lenka Clayton and James Price. In 2006, artists Lenka Clayton and James Price traveled across Britain, shot video portraits, and made four short films. The other two are portraits of women throughout stages of pregnancy and portraits of homes based on income level. (Sadly, I can't find these films online.) Clayton and Price have also collaborated on Conversation, a short about first impressions. People in Order was part of the Portable Film Festival.

Pimp daddy Lipton

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:52:18 -0800

James Lipton: pimp.

Home Beautiful

CameraObscura — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:01:57 -0800

101 Things I Hate About Your House Advice on how to choose safe cleaning products for the home, create chocolate dessert recipes and book reviews. No, it's not Martha Stewart, but rather, helpful tips from interior designer James Swan.

Hot tub! Too hot!

miss lynnster — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:21:34 -0800

Dance lessons with James Brown. And without him. Heeeeyaaaaahhhhhhhh! Admittedly, some people never need dance lessons, though.

Japanese JB Juxtaposition Jamboree

Burhanistan — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:08:01 -0800

Interpreted: James Brown meets Kraftwerk.

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Ira.metafilter — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:03:22 -0800

Singer-songwriter Margo Guryan takes the 16 words from George W. Bush's 2003 State Of The Union address and set them to music. Comes with great video, directed by James Reitano (iFilm, youtube). [more inside]

I second that emotion

frecklefaerie — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 07:42:27 -0800

"A Console To Make You Wiip: How the Nintendo Wii will get you emotionally invested in video games." Exploring the Wii from the aspect of William James' essay, "What is an emotion?" James contends that all emotions are rooted in one's physical state, e.g. goosebumps when spooked, and blushing while embarassed. Can the overt physicality of playing the Wii make it a more emotional experience?

The real James Bond

cenoxo — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:16:43 -0800

The real James Bond — Sidney George Reilly, the shadowy 'Ace of Spies' and inspiration for Ian Fleming's 007, was born Shlomo/Sigmund Georgievich Rosenblum in Ukraine/Poland in 1874. Perhaps illegitimate, dapper Sidney was a tireless self-promoter, patent-medicine chemist, world traveller, and high-stakes gambler (not only at the tables: he married four women but divorced none.) A Czarist Okhrana informer as a Parisian student, he was hired as an undercover agent in the late 1890s by M of Scotland Yard. Reilly worked both sides of the Russo-Japanese War, influenced British oil interests in Iran, brokered World War I arms sales, and volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps in Canada. Sent to Russia by C of Britain's SIS in 1918, he joined a plot to overthrow the Bolsheviks: it failed, but he escaped to London. Returning to Russia in 1919 to help the White Army, he was later awarded the British Military Cross. A staunch anti-Communist, Reilly schemed against them throughout his career. Lured back to Russia by agents of the 'Trust' — an anti-Bolshevik trap set by the Soviet OGPU — Sidney was arrested, interrogated, and shot in 1925.

James Frey, in case anyone still cares.

nevercalm — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:24:45 -0800

James Frey, in his first interview since the whole I-sold-a-memoir-about-my-non-existent-life flap and extremely public Oprah smackdown. (previously mentioned in various posts)

Solo!

bardic — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:34:56 -0800

Yo La Tengo is Murdering the Classics (via). Spontaneous cover magic from the great YLT.

Secret James Bond Rock cost Millions

jfrancis — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 17:04:55 -0800

A fake stone packed with sophisticated British spy devices sparks a UK / Russian controversy. More articles via Google News

REFUND!

billysumday — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 11:36:43 -0800

Readers who bought A Million Little Pieces from Random House get refunded. In what is called an "unprecedented" move, the publisher of the controversial memoir is refunding the book in full. Does this mean that Random House will be suing Frey for damages? Is this truly unprecedented or has this happened before? Catch Frey on TV tonight, if you're interested, as he'll be appearing on Larry King Live.

James Bond in a Fiat Panda?

SharQ — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 08:41:14 -0800

So, apparently there is a certain danger that James Bond will be putt-putting around in a 4WD Fiat Panda. What is the world coming to? It hardly fits in with the rest of the James Bond vehicle park. A propos Bond-cars - in 1997, James Bond's original DB5 was stolen and was never recovered. Someone, somewhere, has this piece of motoring history stashed away.

Don't send a card - just sing!!

matty — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 09:24:02 -0800

Merry Christmas from James My sister sent me this link from a friend that didn't want to send out cards this year - he's not much of a singer but I thought it was a great idea! Hallmark could be in danger...

cedar — Sat, 17 Aug 2002 05:57:27 -0800

Room for rent. Similar to the Clinton administration that they heavily criticized, the Bush folks have opened a bed and breakfast up in that big White House with the cee-ment pond. Rates are steep but one thing many guests share is a membership in the exclusive Pioneer Club.

One of my favorites is Edward Rose, Mr. Rose is a staunch Bush supporter having donated more than 42,000 dollars in the past along with $2,000[1] directly. Then there is the Betts family, patriarch Roland was Dubyas frat brother and besides selling him the Texas Rangers has donated $19,000 along with another 4K[1] directly. For outright generosity it's tough to beat Brad Freeman, who opened his pockets to the tune of some 190,000 dollars.There's Joe O'Donnell ($9,250)and James Simmons ($27,550)... the list goes on but you get the idea. Aside from the Pioneer Club the only other thing these people share is great wealth and successful business careers, considering his choice in houseguests is this the right person to hold corporate America accountable?