Log24

The Horn at Midnight

(See the two previous entries.)

Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4:

HORATIO

I think it lacks of twelve.

HAMLET

No, it is struck.

HORATIO

Indeed? I heard it not:
then it draws near the season
Wherein the spirit held
his wont to walk.

A flourish of trumpets,
and ordnance shot off, within

What does this mean, my lord?

……………………………………..

HORATIO

Look, my lord, it comes!

Enter Ghost

HAMLET

Angels and ministers of grace
defend us!
___________________________

In memory of
Peter Ustinov and Alistair Cooke

From today’s New York Times:

Mr. Cooke’s daughter contacted Mr. Cooke’s biographer to inform him of her father’s death at midnight [on the night of March 29-March 30, 2004].

ANGEL 

On Peter Ustinov, also from the New York Times:

“He received [an Emmy for his role] as Socrates in ‘Barefoot in Athens’ in 1966.”

The Times on “Barefoot in Athens”:

“Socrates falls from grace, and becomes the lone voice of democracy amongst the corruption of his fellow Athenians in this television adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play.”

MINISTER OF GRACE

On Alistair Cooke in today’s Times:

“At Jesus College, Cambridge, Mr. Cooke edited a literary magazine, put on plays and acted in them as a co-founder of the Cambridge Mummers, and pursued a rigorous social life….

Quiller-Couch taught him about writing.”

GRACE

For more on Jesus College, Quiller-Couch, Socrates, and grace, see

The Circle is Unbroken.

Something is Rotten

See Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4.

“… the administration’s reaction to Richard Clarke’s Against All Enemies provides more evidence of something rotten in the state of our government.”

— Paul Krugman as Marcellus
in today’s New York Times

Krugman is among those now using the ominous phrase “abuse of power.”  He closes with a Nixon-related thought:

“Where will it end?  In his new book, Worse Than Watergate, John Dean, of Watergate fame, says, ‘I’ve been watching all the elements fall into place for two possible political catastrophes, one that will take the air out of the Bush-Cheney balloon and the other, far more disquieting, that will take the air out of democracy.’ “

Banach’s Birthday

“A mathematician is a person who can find analogies between theorems; a better mathematician is one who can see analogies between proofs and the best mathematician can notice analogies between theories. One can imagine that the ultimate mathematician is one who can see analogies between analogies.”

— Stefan Banach, according to MacTutor.

The quotation is perhaps taken from Through a Reporter’s Eyes: The Life of Stefan Banach, by Roman Kauza (a.k.a. Roman Kaluza).

“What we today call ‘Banach spaces’ are called ‘spaces of type (B)’ in Banach’s book.” — Sheldon Axler