Weekend Links 2-2-18

A few links of interest for your weekend reading:

Brad Meltzer is one of my favorite authors. His political thrillers helped get me interested in reading fiction again. But he also has written a series of children's books entitled Ordinary People Change the World. In this wide-ranging interview he discusses the latest entry in the series as well as what inspired him to write the books in the first place.

The gentle - and radical - faith of Mister Rogers. In related news, Tom Hanks will portray Mister Rogers in an upcoming film.

Last week we had the class of 2018 for the Baseball Hall of Fame announced. The election results refueled the debate over whether Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens (among other steroid users) should be allowed induction into the Hall of Fame. Don Yaeger makes the compelling case against their election (which I also wholeheartedly agree with).

This is something I honestly had not considered: 4 ways that Netflix perpetuates modern anxieties.

I try to shy away from political commentary with the exception of a small handful of writers. David French is one that I make a point to read pretty much everything he writes. In this column he manages to sum up perfectly the issue that is at the heart of the culture wars: masculinity.

Tweet of the week (this video gave me chills):

Vin Scully reciting the Field of Dreams speech.

(video from @MLB) pic.twitter.com/qX9LPiisTu

— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) January 30, 2018

Daily Links 4-10-14

In today's edition: Victorian Buzzfeed, memorable quotes from children's literature, chatting with George F. Will, Tom Hanks and Walt Disney, and more.

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This is really cool: 25 Stages From Courtship to Marriage. Or, Victorian Buzzfeed. (Hat tip: Acculturated)

Photo Credit: The Public Domain Review

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The myths of success that hold us back from being really successful.

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Hugh Hewitt chatted with George F. Will, author of A Nice Little Place on the North Side. I am reading the book now and it is fantastic. (Audio at the link)

Related: George Will sang during the 7th inning stretch last Sunday. The Cubs won the game. Good luck charm? Ironic considering that Will says Harry Caray is responsible for him becoming a Cubs fan.

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The odd off-season jobs of 10 Baseball Hall of Famers. There was a time before baseball players got rich just playing the game that they had to do something else in the off-season to make ends meet. Fascinating stuff.

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Hard to believe that thirty years ago Tom Hanks was an unemployed actor. But one thing helped him make it through the hard times. No surprise that it helped serve as an inspiration for one of his most memorable roles.

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Quotes from classic children's literature:

Courtesy of: Quotery

Daily Links 12-19-13

In today's edition: how Tom Hanks became Walt Disney, fun facts about Mary Poppins, the psychology of grocery stores, and more.

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Tom Hanks portrays Walt Disney in the new movie Saving Mr. Banks which opens nationwide tomorrow. Here's the story behind how he transformed himself into the entertainment icon:

“This film portrays a side of Disney we haven’t seen before,” Director John Lee Hancock reveals.

“It’s not the Walt we know from The Wonderful World of Disney, which was fun to explore,” Hancock continues, “but, someone had to play Walt Disney, become Walt Disney. Who would that be? There was really only one person that all of us could think of—Tom. I wasn’t trying to put a rubber mask on Tom and make him look exactly like Disney. I wanted Walt Disney to come from inside. Tom is such a fine actor that that’s where he begins his work—from the inside. 

“Tom grew his own mustache,” Hancock continues in describing Hanks’ physical “transformation” for the role. “There’s a lot of voice work, the way he walks, the body position, the way he holds his hands, the way he touches his mustache. How he phrases things and lets sentences roll off the end. He simply became Walt Disney to me and I was completely amazed.”

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And, since we are on the subject of Mary Poppins, here are 21 things about the film you probably didn't know.

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This looks like a fun site: Pulp! the Classics.

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Yes, the way your grocery store is laid out is designed to mess with your head:

As we’ve seen in Guy’s Grocery Games, navigating a grocery store is not an easy feat. You go in for milk and leave with six bottles of wine (on sale!) and a bag of chips. Our friendly grocers are just honest businesspeople trying to sell some food. We would never accuse them of Jedi mind tricks. 

Okay, yes we would. No consumer arena has been as psychoanalyzed as much as the grocery store. Like any responsible business owner, grocers have studied their consumers and learned what makes us tick. Often referred to as “the racetrack,” a grocery store is designed to get you into the “track” and make you go as slowly as possible through every aisle. Most of the major products have been strategically placed to maximize your time and money spent.

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The incredible story of one of the most amazing pieces of music every written, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (complete with links to the song).

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Some words of wisdom from Casey Stengel