Mortal Republic starts off with these words: “We live in a time of political crisis, when the structures of republics as diverse as the United States, Venezuela, France, and Turkey are threatened. Many of these these republics are the constitutional descendants of Rom and, as such, they have inherited both the tremendous structural strengths that allowed the Roman Republic to thrive for so long and some of the same structural weaves that led eventually to its demise.” (p. 7)

Edward J. Watts’ history of the Roman Republic offers plenty of parallels with our present situation. The erosion of the Republic led to the cruel and mentally unstable autocrats like Caligula, Nero, and Commodus. Watts also shows that autocrats like Sulla relied on fear and brutality to force their will on Rome: “Sulla ordered the massacre of six thousand Samnites, who were murdered in the circus at Rome, with the executions timed so that the cries of the condemned would echo through the Temple of Bellona right when Sulla rose to address a terrified Roman Senate. As the dying Samnites creamed outside, Sulla promised to repair the Republic…” (p. 140)
Table of Contents
Maps viii
Preface 1
Chapter 1 Autocratic Freedom 5
Chapter 2 The New World Order 13
Chapter 3 Empire and Inequality 45
Chapter 4 The Politics of Frustration 69
Chapter 5 The Rise of the Outsider 97
Chapter 6 The Republic Breaks 119
Chapter 7 Rebuilding amid the Wreckage 145
Chapter 8 The Republic of the Mediocre 169
Chapter 9 Stumbling Toward Dictatorship 191
Chapter 10 The Birth and Death of Caesar’s Republic 219
Chapter 11 The Republic of Octavian 241
Chapter 12 Choosing Augustan Liberty 271
Notes 283
Index 323

I have no inside knowledge about who will win the OSCARS tonight. In fact, Diane and I probably won’t watch the long and tedious award ceremony. No host, tedious presenters, and way too many rambling speeches make other TV programming more appealing. I liked Black Panther but superhero movies don’t win OSCARS. I liked Emma Stone’s performance in The Favorite but she’s not going to win. I wish both Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen would win OSCARS for Green Book, but that’s not going to happen, either. So here are my predictions. Who do you think will win tonight?

BEST MOVIE: Green Book
BUST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
BEST ACTOR: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
BEST ACTRESS: Glenn Close, The Wife
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

Diane and I planned to seeGreen Book weeks ago but the Polar Vortex and series of curious events delayed us. Finally, we saw Green Book in a surprisingly large audience at our local Regal Theater. Viggo Mortensen plays Tony Vallelonga (aka, “Tony Lip”), a Bronx bouncer. It’s 1962 and Tony finds himself out of work when the Copa Cabana is closed for “renovations.” He applies for an 8-week gig. Mahershala Ali brilliantly portrays Dr. Don Shirley, a gifted Black pianist and composer, who has voluntarily booked a series of performances in the Deep South. Although Dr. Shirley is classically trained, his record company and his handlers prefer he play jazz that appeals to the white audiences who come to listen Shirley’s performances. Dr. Shirley needs a driver and chooses Tony.

Sure, Green Book blends Buddy Movie, Road Trip Movie, The Odd Couple, and Driving Miss Daisy into an entertaining mix with aspects of dread. The trip through Jim Crow South, with its “sundown” towns (where African-Americans faced death if they were out in the evening), White-only restaurants, hotels, and other public establishments adds danger to every day. Tony uses the Green Book–the actual guide that “gives the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and make his trips more enjoyable”–to plan their trip. But trouble is always lurking and Tony saves Dr. Shirley several times.

“Inspired” by the true story of this trip, the script of Green Book was co-written by Vallelonga’s son Nick. Director Peter Farrelly shows how movies should be made. GRADE: A

The year 1944 will always resonate with me for that was the year Clifford D. Simak published the series of stories that would make up his classic SF novel, City. In 1944, A. E. van Vogt continued producing mind-blowing stories like “Far Centaurus.” Fredric Brown’s “Arena”–the basis for one of Star Trek’s favorite episodes–showed what could happen when two conflicting space fleets are on the edge of war. And Theodore Sturgeon’s wild “Killdozer!” achieve legendary status. I enjoyed “The Veil of Astellar” by Leigh Brackett and “No Woman Born” by C.L. Moore.

Asimov and Greenberg include the famous Cleve Cartmill story about atom bombs that brought the FBI to the offices of John W. Campbell to investigate if there was a leak from the Manhattan Project. You can also see how dominant ASTOUNDING was in 1944. The Great SF Stories #6 collects another strong lineup of entertaining Science Fiction tales. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION by Martin H. Greenberg & Isaac Asimov 9
“Far Centaurus” by A. E. van Vogt (ASTOUNDING, January 1944) 13
“Deadline” by Cleve Cartmill (ASTOUNDING, March 1944) 35
“The Veil of Astellar” by Leigh Brackett (THRILLING WONDER STORIES, Spring 1944) 64
“Sanity” by Fritz Leiber (ASTOUNDING, April 1944) 93
“Invariant” by John R. Pierce (ASTOUNDING, April 1944) 110
“City” by Clifford D. Simak (ASTOUNDING, May 1944) 116
“Arena” by Fredric Brown (ASTOUNDING, June 1944) 144
“Huddling Place” by Clifford D. Simak (ASTOUNDING, July 1944) 173
“Kindness” by Lester del Rey (ASTOUNDING, October 1944) 192
“Desertion” by Clifford D. Simak (ASTOUNDING, November 1944) 208
“When the Bough Breaks” by Lewis Padgett (aka, Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore) (ASTOUNDING, November 1944) 221
“Killdozer!” by Theodore Sturgeon (ASTOUNDING, November 1944) 248
“No Woman Born” by C. L. Moore (ASTOUNDING, November 1944) 319

I’ve been using TURBOTAX for over a decade. It provides a quick way to do your taxes. But this version for 2018 annoyed me. First, after installing the program, TURBOTAX wouldn’t start. After several tries, I gave up and reinstalled TURBOTAX. Not a good start. I transferred my data from last year’s tax returns and began the process of entering information. The laborious process of adding all our charitable contributions took me about a half an hour. Then the kicker: with the new tax changes, those charitable deductions didn’t count. TURBOTAX suggested I just take the Standard Deduction. All that work for nothing!

With the Standard Deduction, we ended up owing the Feds. Then I downloaded the NEW YORK STATE software and once again TURBOTAX did its bump and grind only to tell me I owed money to NY State, too. Not the news I was hoping for. Obviously, Diane and I have to increase our withholdings for 2019. Have you done your taxes? Are you getting a refund?

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Angela Crider Neary, I enjoyed what is likely to be Bill Crider’s last Dan Rhodes novel, That Old Scoundrel Death. Sheriff Rhodes investigates the puzzling murder of a man who calls himself “Bruce Wayne” and “John Watson” but is actually an investigative reporter for a local news web site. The body is found in a run-down school which half the community wants preserved and the other half wants torn down. Rhodes conducts his interviews with suspects while the cloud of his upcoming Election weighs on him. Should he run for Sheriff again?

That Old Scoundrel Death is the 24th book in the Dan Rhodes series. The delight I experienced while reading it was tempered by the realization that each page I turned brought me closer to the final chapter of Bill’s writing career. I don’t know if Bill had decided whether Dan Rhodes would have run for Sheriff again. But if he did, he’d get my vote. GRADE: A

Where Eagles Dare (1968) is Steven Spielberg’s favorite World War II movie and it’s essayist Geoff Dyer’s, too. Dyer decided to write a book about Where Eagles Dare to celebrate the movie’s 50th Anniversary.

If you haven’t seen Where Eagles Dare, it’s the coolest caper WWII movie ever. Seven agents–six Brits and 1 American–are sent to Germany on a mission to rescue an American general from the Nazi’s impregnable alpine fortress, the Schloss Adler (aka, “Castle of the Eagles”). Richard Burton is the head of the team. After parachuting into Germany, one of his team is found dead. Not a good start. Burton uses Clint Eastwood, the American agent, to set a plot into motion to expose the traitor on the team.

Where Eagles Dare resembles a Mission Impossible movie set in World War II. Just when you think you know where the plot is heading, screen writer and High Adventure novelist Alistair MacLean throws another twist into the action. Geoff Dyer loves these twists and lavishes his wit on them in ‘Broadsword Calling Danny Boy’ as he gives a running commentary on the entire film. Sometimes Dyer’s comments reveal subtle aspects of the film, sometimes he’s just plain funny. If you’re a fan of WWII movies, Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Alistair MacLean, and impossible missions you’ll love ‘Broadsword Calling Danny Boy’. GRADE: A

What better way to celebrate Presidents’ Day than by reading Albert O. Hirschman’s slim little book, The Passions and the Interests (1977). Hirschman quotes Alexander Hamilton on the dangers of a greedy President:

“An avaricious man, who might happen to fill the office, looking forward to the time when he must at all events yield up emoluments he enjoyed, would feel the propensity, not easy to be resisted by such a man, to take the best use of the the opportunity he enjoyed while it lasted, and might not scruple to have recourse to the most corrupt expedients to make the harvest as abundant as it was transitory…” (Number 72, The Federalist)

And Samuel Butler wrote that foolish and incapable persons in government: “have one advantage, above those who are wiser, and that of no mean importance: for no man can guess nor imagine, beforehand what course they will probably take in any business that occurs…” (p. 50)

Sound like someone we all know?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 3
PART ONE: How the Interests were Called Upon to Counteract the Passions 7
The Idea of Glory and Its Downfall 9
Man “as he really is” 12
Repressing and Harnessing the Passions 14
The Principle of the Countervailing Passion 20 “Interest” and “Interests” as Tamers of the Passions 31
Interest as a New Paradigm 42
Assets of an Interest-Governed World: Predictability and Constancy 48
Money-Making and Commerce as Innocent and Doux 56
Money-Making as a Calm Passion 63
PART TWO: How Economic Expansion was Expected to Improve the Political Order 67
Elements of a Doctrine 70
1. Montesquieu 70
2. Sir James Steuart 81
3. John Millar 87
Related yet Discordant Views 93
1. The Physiocrats 96
2. Adam Smith and the End of a Vision 100
PART THREE: Reflections on an Episode in Intellectual History 115
Where the Montesquieu-Steuart Vision Went Wrong 117
The Promise of an Interest-Governed World versus the Protestant Ethnic 128
Contemporary Notes 132
Notes 137
Index 147

“Men seldom make passes,
At girls who wear glasses.”

That’s Dorothy Parker’s famous aphorism (which I disagree with since I dated several women who wore glasses…and married one!). James Geary collects a wide range of aphorism writers and provides examples of their best work. Plenty of my favor aphorisms are included in this book. How about “The most entertaining surface on earth is the human face.” (p 106) That’s Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Or how about Seneca’s “Do not regard as valuable anything that can be taken away.” (p. 59). Or “We are what we think” (p. 32) from Buddha. The World in a Phrase (2005) provides pithy wisdom and guidance. This handy little book brings humor and intelligence in fun phrases. Excellent book! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Guessing Is More Fun Than Knowing: The Confessions of an Aphorism Addict; 1
The Five Laws of Aphorisms;
1. It Must Be Brief; 2. It Must Be Definitive; 3. It Must Be Personal; 4. It Must Have a Twist; 5. It Must Be Philosophical;
2. We Are What We Think: Ancient Sages, Preachers, and Prophets; 21
Lao-tzu; 27
Buddha; 31
Confucius; 35
Jesus; 38
Muhammad; 42
The Zen Masters; 45
3. A Man Is Wealthy in Proportion to the Things He Can Do Without: Greek and Roman Stoics; 49
Diogenes; 52
Epicurus; 55
Seneca; 58
Epictetus; 62
Marcus Aurelius 65
4. Upon the Highest Throne in the World, We Are Seated, Still, upon Our Arses: French and Spanish Moralists 67
Michel de Montaigne; 69
Baltasar Gracián; 75
FranÃois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld; 81
Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues; 87
Sébastien-Roch Nicolas Chamfort; 92
Joseph Joubert; 97
5. Good and Evil Are the Prejudices of God: Heretics, Dissenters, and Skeptics; 102
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg; 106
Arthur Schopenhauer; 109
Friedrich Nietzsche; 114
Ludwig Wittgenstein; 119
E. M. Cioran; 123
6. The Lack of Money Is the Root of All Evil: The Rise of the American One-Liner; 126
Ralph Waldo Emerson; 130
Henry David Thoreau; 133
Mark Twain 139
Ambrose Bierce 144
7. Know Then Thyself, Presume Not God to Scan; The Proper Study of Mankind Is Man: In Praise of Light Verse; 149
Alexander Pope; 152
William Blake; 157
Emily Dickinson; 160
Samuel Hoffenstein; 164
Dorothy Parker; 166
Dr. Seuss; 169
8. In the Beginning Was the Word–At the End Just the Cliche: The Aphorism Today; 174
Karl Kraus; 176
Antonio Porchia; 180
Malcolm de Chazal; 183
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec; 188
Barbara Kruger; 191
Jenny Holzer; 192
Afterisms; 199
Notes; 201
Bibliography; 209

Diane chose Isn’t It Romantic as our Valentine’s Day movie. Rebel Wilson (best known for her roles in the Perfect Pitch movies) stars as Natalie, a low-level architect (she designs parking garages). One of Natalie’s co-workers, Josh (Adam Devine) has a crush on her. But Natalie is oblivious. Natalie also thinks romantic comedies are stupid. Then, during a mugging on the subway, Natalie runs into a pole and goes into a coma. In her coma, Natalie finds herself in a Perfect World where she’s successful and men are all interested in her romantically. Her best friend and assistant, Whitney (Betty Gilpin) suddenly follows the Romantic Comedy script and becomes her enemy at work. Wealthy real estate investor, Blake (Liam Hemsworth, THOR’s little brother), falls in love with Natalie.

Direct Todd Strauss-Schulson spares us none of the Romantic Comedy tropes: The Kiss, The Bollywood-like Musical Dance Number, The Slow-Motion Run to Stop a Wedding, and a painful Karaoke Sing-a-long. I did like Isabella (Priyanka Chopra), a gorgeous model and Yoga Ambassador. I could have done without Natalie’s grouchy neighbor Donny (Brandon Scott Jones) who becomes her gay best friend and fashion consultant. Sure, Isn’t It Romantic spoofs the whole Romantic Comedy genre, but I wish it was funnier. GRADE: B-