Never Forget

"All Things Will Die" - Lord Alfred Tennyson

Clearly the blue river chimes in its flowing

Under my eye;
Warmly and broadly the south winds are blowing

Over the sky.
One after another the white clouds are fleeting;
Every heart this May morning in joyance is beating

Full merrily;
Yet all things must die.
The stream will cease to flow;
The wind will cease to blow;
The clouds will cease to fleet;
The heart will cease to beat;
For all things must die.
All things must die.
Spring will come never more.
O, vanity!
Death waits at the door.
See! our friends are all forsaking
The wine and the merrymaking.
We are call'd—we must go.
Laid low, very low,
In the dark we must lie.
The merry glees are still;
The voice of the bird
Shall no more be heard,
Nor the wind on the hill.
O, misery!
Hark! death is calling
While I speak to ye,
The jaw is falling,
The red cheek paling,
The strong limbs failing;
Ice with the warm blood mixing;
The eyeballs fixing.
Nine times goes the passing bell:
Ye merry souls, farewell.
The old earth
Had a birth,
As all men know,
Long ago.
And the old earth must die.
So let the warm winds range,
And the blue wave beat the shore;
For even and morn
Ye will never see
Thro' eternity.
All things were born.
Ye will come never more,
For all things must die.

Patrick Roy Kramer - May 6, 1977 - October 22, 2006

Game of Thrones Pilot to Start Filming

Excellent news for geeks everywhere as the pilot for George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is about to start filming. This does not guarantee it will air, but as Poniewozik notes is a very good sign.

Oh, and here is an update from Martin on the status of the long-delayed fifth book in the series.

Finished a Jon Snow chapter, and have just passed the 1100 page (manuscript pages, the page count in the final printed book will be different) mark on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. That's counting only finished chapters in something close to final form. I have considerably more in partials, fragments, and roughs.

Even with just the finished portions, DANCE is now longer than A FEAST FOR CROWS and A GAME OF THRONES, and I'm closing in on A CLASH OF KINGS. I do hope I can wrap things up before I approach the 1521 page length of A STORM OF SWORDS.

Making a new run at the Meereenese knot, but maybe not tomorrow. I think I'll hang around at the Wall a bit longer, and maybe visit Winterfell.

Putting on the Pressure to Close Gitmo

Want to see the detention center at Guantanamo closed? Sign the petition.

The Dishonesty of Glenn Beck

I don't get Glenn Beck. Or more accurately, I don't get the people who watch Glenn Beck. On the occasions that I've watches his show, I've been left dumbstruck by his circus antics - making a dramatic point with a misspelled word, crying, or rudely yelling at a caller. I just can't figure out how he can be taken seriously. Obviously he's making a ton of money doing it, so why shouldn't he keep doing it? The fact that so many people buy into his shtick, though, just boggles my mind.

What is perhaps most egregious, however, is his reckless dishonesty. Check out Media Matters pwning Beck for his lying about Anita Dunn's remarks. The video that he keeps showing has been edited to take her remarks out of context! Not to mention that many conservatives have quoted Mao. It's sickening that he does this and people don't care. They live in their little bubble where Beck is an outcast prophet speaking truth to power. Beck is a dangerous demagogue and shouldn't be given the time of day let alone a regular TV spot to spout his garbage.

UPDATE: And here's another example of Beck's intellectual dishonesty.

Tough Times for the Vatican

They're having to hire temps to fill vacant Priest positions. I bet I could do that gig. Maybe I'll look into it.

Your Money at Work

Check out this incredible visual breakdown of the federal budget. It certainly helps to put things in perspective.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Weekly Music Video

A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to my Arcade Fire channel on Pandora when this song came on. After about 30 seconds, I was hooked. I had never heard of the group before, but I tracked them down on iTunes and downloaded Sam's Town, the album this song was on. The whole album is good, but this song is just brilliant. I've been listening to it over and over. It's hard not to feel good when listening to the earnest vocals, the soaring sound, and the beautiful lyrics. A new favorite of mine.

The Killers - "Read My Mind"

Speaking of "I don't know"

Listen to this very fascinating speech given by Tom Honey, a Canon Pastor at Exeter Cathedral, that grapples with our notion of a loving, all powerful God and the fact that great tragedies occur.



H/T: Sullivan