On Holy Wars

For that same word, rebellion, did divide
The action of their bodies from their souls;
And they did fight with queasiness, constrain'd,
As men drink potions, that their weapons only
Seem'd on our side; but, for their spirits and souls,
This word, rebellion, it had froze them up,
As fish are in a pond. But now the bishop
Turns insurrection to religion:
Supposed sincere and holy in his thoughts,
He's followed both with body and with mind;
And doth enlarge his rising...

Edge

Just finished Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood. While I haven't loved other things that I've read by her lately, Atwood's dystopia always manages to get under my skin.

The novel is partially told from the perspective of a young sex worker, and, from the first chapter, this snippet struck a chord:

"[The strip club] was well run, though it was in a seedy area -- all the clubs were. That was a matter of image, Mordis would say: seedy was good for business, because unless there's an edge - something lurid or tawdry, a whiff of sleaze - what separated our brand from the run-of-the-mill product the guy could get at home, with the face cream and the white cotton panties?"

Six Impossible Things

I finally saw Alice in Wonderland, courtesy of the in-flight movie selections on my latest trans-Atlantic flight. Overall, I really enjoyed it: I thought Mia Wasikowska captured the right mix of wide-eyed Alice and skeptical Alice, Helena Bonham Carter's tone was appropriately imperious, and Johnny Depp was brilliant.

But -- and, you knew there was a but! -- I cringed (multiple times) at the deviations from Carroll's original storylines. e.g., Alice's famous line in the film? Not actually said by her in the original:

"I can't believe that!" said Alice.
"Can't you?" the [White] Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."
Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: one can't believe impossible things."
"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.''

Of finding happiness in the extremes

''You tell me there is no fighting or hatred or desire in the Town. That is a beautiful dream, and I do want your happiness. But the absence of fighting or hatred or desire also means the opposites do not exist either. No joy, no communion, no love. Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope.''