Trump-speech analyzed:

Whatever is to blame for the appeal of Donald Trump, who graces our cover this week (if that’s the word), it certainly isn’t his eloquence.

The point is made for us by Barton Swaim in the course of his survey of American styles of oratory, as heard in, particularly, inaugural presidential addresses, from John Adams and Abraham Lincoln to Ronald Reagan and beyond.

There was a time – according to the “erudite and insightful” study Swaim reviews – when audiences not put to sleep by foggy logic and propositions they didn’t believe had their patriotic and altruistic feelings aroused instead.

But Trump’s “choppy, jokey, vaguely belligerent” chat is “the repudiation of the Great American Speech” – and perhaps that is just what Americans want.

(Thumb sketch of review of Stephen Fender’s The Geat American Speech: Words and monuments)

Let’s double-check those last words. So far, Trump has perfect pitch for millions of us. That’s partly the age we live in, when eloquence has been badly wounded.

In addition, we’ve been hearing uber-nonsense — “foggy logic and propositions [so many of us] didn’t believe” — from the tongue-tied (except when tele-prompted) presidential elocutionist long enough to make many of us ripe for rough approximations that do touch our “patriotic [if not] altruistic feelings.”

Newspapers not what they used to be. Alan Taylor looks at today’s newsroom.

At my old newspapers [( Edinburgh) Herald and Scotsman], today’s fillers of the front page rarely leave their desks, let alone the office. Instead they tweet like demented birds, fill in Freedom of Information forms and embellish press releases.

Verbal communication is kept to a minimum; even colleagues sitting side by side prefer to send emails rather than use their vocal cords.

Anyone suspected of having had a liquid lunch can expect to be collared by “Human Resources”.

Meanwhile, edicts from on high emphasize the imperative to feed the voracious beast that is the website and tailor “content” to whatever will attract the greatest number of “hits”, in the belief that this will increase advertising and thus protect jobs.

Towards the end of my tenure, fearful of catching something contagious, I rationed my visits to the office. Whenever I did drop by, it was eerily empty and the silence was unnatural, like that in a movie which foretells something awful about to happen.

Thus he concludes a half-page “Freelance” piece in Times Literary Supplement. Subscription needed: Freelance | TLS

Just downloaded this book, also got from Edgewater Branch library. Very thoughtful on memoirs, “confessions,” and the like.

See also, of course, the CPL reference:

Source: The Project Gutenberg eBook of Impressions of Theophrastus Such, by George Eliot

Curious (misguided?) concern here for GOP:

To be sure, we do not envy Republicans the Hobson’s choice they seem to face between Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz. No doubt the latter could do lasting damage to the party brand, as the establishment fears. But Mr. Trump wouldn’t?

Mr. Obama didn’t, to his party?

Source: GOP insiders cave to Trump – The Washington Post

Trump welcomes good words from high GOP places and explains:

“I can tell you, they like me, those guys,” Trump said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, folks. We’ve got to make deals. We don’t want to sign executive orders. We want to make good deals.”

He wrote about making deals. He would be the antithesis of go-it-alone Cruz?

More about this fascinating possibility here : GOP establishment warms to Trump — and remains cool toward Cruz – The Washington Post

Half of 365 economists who had written about climate change recommended “immediate and drastic action” by governments. Another 43% want “some action.”

This economist ponders the matter:

It’s possible that most of the 339 economists who advocate government action to combat global warming are investing in these ways.

But I’d make sure that they are so investing before even considering taking their policy advice.

He is Donald J. Boudreaux is a professor of economics and Getchell Chair at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va

Source: Do ‘experts’ believe their own predictions?

Where did this Loyola U.-Chicago student get this quote about Jesuit education? 

“This directly contradicts the spirit of Loyola’s jesuit [sic] mission, a mission that encourages students to seek knowledge through the pursuit of justice,” a statement from one group of students said.

“It undermines the Student Promise to care for community, a commitment to making our community and the world more equitable and just. The chilling effect is palpable.”

“Seek knowledge through the pursuit of justice?” Not “Seek knowledge  as guide to pursuit of Justice” or something like it?

This melding of the two is weird. 

It’s in this story: Entire Loyola Student Government Faces Discipline After Dining Hall Protest – Rogers Park – DNAinfo.com Chicago

The divine Sarah, that is, producing instant tabloid heaven:

New York tabloid seizes on Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump.

That’s not nice, but the graphics are funny. So are some of the wisecracks on Twitter offered below in this Market Watch piece.

On the other hand, Palin is “gold” with Evangelicals, said Faith & Freedom Coalition chairman Ralph Reed.

And we do know Trump burned his bridges with New York intelligentsia quite a while back.

The whole story is here: New York Daily News mocks Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump – MarketWatch

There’s a bright side.

A number of data-driven articles suggest that the stock market and the economy aren’t nearly as troubled as the handwringers might suggest.

Source: Bright Side to Stock Rout – Barron’s

His father, a former Army draftee and then officer in WW2 Euro combat, then a police chief, was distant almost all of the time. Way at the end, a confession and a revelation:

Today I live in Jupiter, Fla., in a five-bedroom house on the water. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years. I love my living room most. When my father was up in his years, he lived with me and sat in there with his pipe.

In his last years, he finally told me he loved me. He also apologized for not telling me so earlier or showing me affection. He said, “Son, I never knew what I was supposed to say or do as a father.”

The whole story, which is easy reading, is here: The Athletic Boyhood of Actor Burt Reynolds – WSJ