Author Archives: louisprofphillips

SPIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT “Some of the earliest spies we know by name are the twelve men Moses sent into Canaan before he led the Hebrews into that land. They were, the Bible tells us, Shamma, Shaphut, Igal, Oshea, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. “The orders Moses gave those men –Continue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE:PEOPLE”

The proof of a poem is not that we have never forgotten it, but that we know at sight that we would never forget it.” Robert Frost. Wisdom. Volume 38. ** EMILY DICKINSON ON SPELLING “Orthography always baffled me, and to N’s I had an especial aversion, as they always seemed unfinished M’s.” ** CARPEContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: POETS & POETRY”

“In Hollywood a starlet is the name for any woman under thirty who is not actively employed in a brothel.” Ben Hecht ** CEDRIC HARDWICKE WITH LIVER IN HIS EARS “I sat in the furnace blast of sunshine wondering idly why Hollywood trees hold so little sap and provide so little shade, breathing with someContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: FILM #12”

MAIDS OF HONOUR “Perhaps I had been sent out for the newspaper, for the papers, brought by sea from Liverpool, arrived in the shop about this time of day. Or possibly my errand was to buy three of the little cakes called Maids of Honour, to be eaten after the cold meats of the eveningContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: FOOD & DRINK (DIGEST?)”

“In view of the fact that I was once again on my feet, instead of flat on my back, the concept of ‘later’ suddenly seemed less quixotic than realistic. If you don’t know the exact moment when the lights will go out, you might as well read until they do.” Clive James. Latest Readings (NewContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: THE JOYS OF READING”

ZEN AND THE ART OF READING POETRY The sadness that tells me I shall be sad, The happiness that tells me I shall be sad. LJP ** ON A POEM WAITING TO BE WRITTEN “ I keep thinking of this poem that should contain the line ‘his father built him a house with beams ofContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: POETS & POETRY”

V.S. NAIPAUL’S LAUGHTER “…V.S. Naipaul’s laughter was more than a laugh. It was a surprise bellow of appreciation, made resonant by tobacco smoke and asthma. It made you wonder whether he saw something you didn’t.” Paul Theroux. “The Enigma of Friendship” ** OSCAR WILDE’S BROTHER DESCRIBED BY MAX BEERBOHM “At Broadstairs Max met Oscar Wilde’sContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE:PEOPLE”

DEATH RAYS “The most spectacular of the proposed application of electricity was the death ray, a concentrated beam of electricity that could destroy people, vehicles, or structures. H.G.Wells is usually credited with first imagining the death ray wielded by the invading Martians in his 1898 War of The Worlds, and may have been inspired byContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE:THIS & THAT (BUT MOSTLY THIS)”

“>“The 75th anniversary of the publication of Le Petit Prince in France is commemorated by a single 1.08 e stamp available in a sheet of 15. First available in the United States in 1943, it was banned by Vichy France and not published until after the liberation. The novella was written by writer and aviatorContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: THE JOYS OF READING”

“Hence the advice that JR receives from a pal: ‘When you Suck at writing, you become a journalist.’ No comment.” Anthony Lane, concluding his review of “The Tender Bat” in The New Yorker (January 17, 2022) ** TORCHY BLANE, FICTIONAL REPORTER Glenda Farrell played Torchy Blane, a daring female reporter in a series of popularContinue reading “BITS & PIECES OF A MISPLACED LIFE: JOURNALISM #2”