John Derbyshire was the person who single-handedly turned me towards the Dark Side. This was initially through his article 'The Talk' and subsequently through his columns in Takimag, his Radio Derb podcast and his back catalogue of writing on his own website. For years he remained the first person I referred to about pretty much anything.
I read 'We Are Doomed' with pleasure, as well as his two novels (I thought, and still think, 'Fire from the Sun' was brilliant) and absorbed his thoughts on poetry. The only thing I never read were his books on Maths or his Maths Corner column because, hey, I was educated at a 1970's English Comprehensive so my knowledge of Maths begins and ends with adding and subtracting.
After reading something John had written I would occasionally write to him and he was always gracious enough to write back. Even when I complained to him about how much I hated British TV presenters no longer being able to say 'battle', 'medal' and 'hospital' properly, he was able to tell me what the linguistic term was for the thing they couldn't do and why they couldn't do it: apparently this is the last sound English children master and some fools, who are then employed by the BBC, never succeed in mastering it.
Today, about 13 years after reading The Talk, I'm still grateful that I came across it and that my eyes were opened to things that in those days were 'unknown unknowns' to me. Not any more.
Anyway, in case you're reading this John, Happy 80th birthday!
Mr. Derb sez we should leave NATO, but I realized the other day that the U.S. will never do so. First reason is that U.S. presidents love to go to Europe and get treated as the lead military potentate. Second reason is, very powerful Jews in the U.S. and elsewhere do NOT want to see Germany untethered from NATO. The point of NATO is to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down. Too many people are afraid of a Fourth Reich, even the Germans themselves.
You, John Derbyshire and Alister Cook ( Brit Expat explained high class BBC programs like Upstairs , Downstairs to American audiences on PBS Masterpiece Theater) you Brit Expats got all our best women with your Brit charm and your Brit accents :-)
You and your lovely young American wife should adopt titles :
John Derbyshire was the person who single-handedly turned me towards the Dark Side. This was initially through his article 'The Talk' and subsequently through his columns in Takimag, his Radio Derb podcast and his back catalogue of writing on his own website. For years he remained the first person I referred to about pretty much anything.
I read 'We Are Doomed' with pleasure, as well as his two novels (I thought, and still think, 'Fire from the Sun' was brilliant) and absorbed his thoughts on poetry. The only thing I never read were his books on Maths or his Maths Corner column because, hey, I was educated at a 1970's English Comprehensive so my knowledge of Maths begins and ends with adding and subtracting.
After reading something John had written I would occasionally write to him and he was always gracious enough to write back. Even when I complained to him about how much I hated British TV presenters no longer being able to say 'battle', 'medal' and 'hospital' properly, he was able to tell me what the linguistic term was for the thing they couldn't do and why they couldn't do it: apparently this is the last sound English children master and some fools, who are then employed by the BBC, never succeed in mastering it.
Today, about 13 years after reading The Talk, I'm still grateful that I came across it and that my eyes were opened to things that in those days were 'unknown unknowns' to me. Not any more.
Anyway, in case you're reading this John, Happy 80th birthday!
He completely changed my thinking on a lot of issues.
Mr. Derb sez we should leave NATO, but I realized the other day that the U.S. will never do so. First reason is that U.S. presidents love to go to Europe and get treated as the lead military potentate. Second reason is, very powerful Jews in the U.S. and elsewhere do NOT want to see Germany untethered from NATO. The point of NATO is to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down. Too many people are afraid of a Fourth Reich, even the Germans themselves.
You, John Derbyshire and Alister Cook ( Brit Expat explained high class BBC programs like Upstairs , Downstairs to American audiences on PBS Masterpiece Theater) you Brit Expats got all our best women with your Brit charm and your Brit accents :-)
You and your lovely young American wife should adopt titles :
Sir Peter and Lady Lydia
:-)
John
Left behind in Chicago
Stol lots!