Hiatus—Brief But Deep

For the next week or so, Wisdom of the West will be quiet. I'm taking my family on our annual scuba excursion.

I've left the front page here in reasonably tidy shape, meaning there's plenty to keep you busy until my return. I've put up some notable, influential (at least on me) quotes from Kierkegaard, Tillich, Freud, and John Rawls. For entertainment you can watch all six episodes of 'Fishing with John', one of my all-time favorite television shows. When I first saw it back in the early nineties, I couldn't actually believe it was on TV. It was so odd. Dry, deadpan humor, cool background music, nature, quirky people.(Well, looks like one of them jumped to page two. Click through if you want.) There's also an extended piece on politics and the war in Afghanistan. And some other stuff. Enjoy!

If that's not enough, here're the synopses of the 2010 Booker Prize long list nominees. 

And, by request, here's a story you might enjoy: "Harley in Beni".