It is one of those unquestioned assumptions of our day that civilisation has somehow progressed.

You can understand why the initiators of the idea of progress thought that they had engineered some intellectual advances. From the standpoint of the early 18th Century the 17th, dominated by the Thirty Years War between Catholic and Protestant powers, looked decidedly inferior. Diderot, d'Allembert and the other Encyclopaedists could not imagine how civilised people would ever again slaughter each other over the matter of dogmatic difference in religion.

With some minor exceptions they were right but we have found much less edifying things to fight about than the legitimacy of bishops or the connection between their appointment and the wielding of secular power. Indeed, we have become so assured and sophisticated in our ways that we scarcely know why the First World War was ever fought. I spent a wonderfully pleasant but ultimately fruitless year at Harvard trying to find out... More

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MY GLASS HOUSE:

Hotel Darkness

At least one person has said that the best line I've ever written is, "You haven't lived until you've been emotionally damaged..." I'm not sure I agree. I've written a number of good lines. Some of them have even been lauded as being quotable.

But, for sure, I'm something of an expert on the walking wounded. You carry your heart on your sleeve the way I do and you can't help but be that kind of expert. This week it felt like it was catching up with me, again. I slept more than unusual and thought, "Oh-oh!" I was firmly committed to not having another visit from the Black Dog. And the last place I wanted a reservation in again was Hotel Darkness...More

yes yes i see you taking a streetcar named desire to elysian fields. moss abounds as does that seemingly frail yet enduring filigree lattice work on balconies.

your glass house piece was inspiring for me. i have been contemplating the fear vs. love motivation in many areas of my life since i read your piece. thank you.

kisses,
miss blue More


POWERSSOUND: Brother acts have been a staple of show business. The Nicholas Brothers were tap dancers of immense talent. In more recent days, the Hines Brothers proved to be a popular duo appearing on TV and in films.

Suddenly, the Hines Brothers were no longer together. Gregory has done well in films and on stage, but some of us wondered whatever happened to Maurice. The answer is that he never went away, just worked on Broadway and with tours on a number of projects.

Now there comes Maurice's first album. "I've Never Been in Love Before" (Arbors Records) comes as a wonderful surprise and has been receiving constant play in my home office..."The Other Brother Returns" BOB POWERS More


RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT: : When I was coming up, a lot of the old folks in the community used to use the phrase, "a credit to his race." I'm glad that went away, 'cause I always used to think, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" It would kind of make me mad if you wannah know the truth, Homes.

So a couplah weeks ago, when it came out how the Reverend Jesse Jackson had taken a big fall by having it exposed that he had this love child by one of his co-workers, I had to stop and think about this whole issue of leadership, what it means, how we pick 'em --- or, and more likely, have 'em picked for us. Next thing I know, I felt like I was in some kindah trick-bag. I'll tell ya why... "Leadership" RADIO RAHEEM More

RDR 01.25.01: DICK QUAX takes a hard look at "EDUCATION."

RDR 01.31.01: "Is Imitation Flattery?" ED CANTARELLA questions that in today's Op-Ed piece.

THE MYTHVILLE PROJECT: There was the gun. There was the Whore. And there was I, dropping into the topless nightclub, if at first to call the police, then eventually to sample the earthly delights inside.

Wanna dance?

It was on the night I'd decided to write one last memo on the Jungle. A poem, in fact. This Jungle was in a far off city and should not be confused with the Rum Jungle near North Station and the Fleet Center (Boston) is an innocuous example of the form that, certainly, is a home away from home for me in these, my post-divorced male-getting-a-new-divorce era. The Rum Jungle is a good way for a male (or adventurous female) to sit around and wait for a commuter train toward that little woman and the blue light of television fading into dreams in the 'burbs.

However, the new club in the visceral maze of the dug up Hub is downright Victorian in its restricted civility of dancing limited to a center stage, as opposed to your lap. In fact, there's no activity on the floor at all. ... "Bad Advice in Dancing School" DOUGLAS MC DANIEL More

THE SEX COLUMN: I used to be a big patron of Pimpit.com. But that's all over with now. Why? Because I'm pissed off!