The Stone Bridge Blog News and Reviews from Stone Bridge Press New Website! by Stone Bridge Press 14 Oct 2009 at 11:30am span style=color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:180%; This blog is now closed. Please visit a href=http://stonebridge.com/the new Stone Bridge Press website/a for news, reviews, community, and so much more!/spanimg width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-939900267372031387?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / CHOICE reviews A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors by Stone Bridge Press 25 Jun 2009 at 8:46pm We love libraries, we love librarians, and we love library media. So were especially happy about a href=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/choice/index.cfmspan style=font-style: italic;CHOICE/span/as recent, very positive review of Alexander Jacobys new book, a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/CriticalHandbook/CriticalHandbook.htmlspan style=font-weight: bold;A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors/spanspan style=font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;span style=font-style: italic;/span/span/a. N. A. Baker of Earlham College writes:br /br /span style=color: rgb(153, 0, 0);This useful volume offers a critical overview and filmography of over 150 Japanese directors from the silent era to the present, excluding anime....[It] ought to please both scholars in search of a handy (and unique) reference title, and more casual Japanese film enthusiasts seeking information....Recommended./spanimg width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-7958437495945649277?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Man of Manga by Stone Bridge Press 17 Jun 2009 at 3:21pm As we already noted, a href=http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781933330549?aff=stonebridgepress4Frederik L. Schodt/a is a href=http://stonebridgepress.blogspot.com/2009/04/frederik-l-schodt-awarded-order-of.htmlreceiving a major award/a span style=color: rgb(102, 0, 0);? /spanOrder of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosettespan style=font-weight: bold; /spanspan style=color: rgb(102, 0, 0);? /spanfrom the Japanese Government. In the span style=font-style: italic;Nichi Bei Times/span, Ben Hamamoto profiles and interviews Schodt in honor of the award, writing:br /br /span style=color: rgb(102, 0, 0);Frederik L. Schodt has the distinction of not only being one of the pioneers who brought manga to the English-speaking world ? both through his translations of important manga works and the books on manga he has authored ? but he is also one of the foremost authorities on the subject today./spanbr /br /Anyone with an interest in Schodts work or the history/future of manga should check out the entire article, a href=http://www.nichibeitimes.com/?p=4059Man of Manga: Fred Schodts Indispensible Contributions to the Art of Manga./aimg width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-3694950212445433330?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / The Wall Street Journal reviews Pop Goes Korea by Stone Bridge Press 4 Jun 2009 at 7:58pm a href=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sihf8PATC4I/AAAAAAAAAq4/mx94k4WXbuM/s1600-h/PopKoreaCVR.jpgimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 247px; src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sihf8PATC4I/AAAAAAAAAq4/mx94k4WXbuM/s320/PopKoreaCVR.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343626446299663234 border=0 //aspan style=font-style: italic;/spanIn the span style=font-style: italic;Wall Street Journal/span, Evan Ramstad reviews a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330686?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330686span style=font-weight: bold;Pop Goes Korea: /span/aspan class=captiona href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330686?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330686span style=font-weight: bold;Behind the Revolution in Movies, Music, and Internet Culture/span/a by Mark James Russell:br /br //spanMr. Russells book is the first by a non-Korean to explain the rise of Koreas entertainment industries. With lots of pictures, lists (top TV shows, most expensive movies, worst flops) and sidebar articles, the book could hardly be more approachable.br /span class=captionbr /Read the whole review, a href=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124267698913031617.htmlRiding the Korean Wave: /a/spana href=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124267698913031617.htmlExporting ideas and culture, not just steel and silicon./aimg width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-2258852570173147658?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Review of A Critical Hand Book of Japanese Film Directors by Stone Bridge Press 19 May 2009 at 7:07pm a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/CriticalHandbook/CriticalHandbook.htmlimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 225px; src=http://media.perseusdistribution.com/covers/high/9781933330532.jpg alt= border=0 //aIn the span style=font-style: italic;Japan Times/spana href=http://http//search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20090308a1.html/a, Mark Schilling reviews the recently released a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/CriticalHandbook/CriticalHandbook.htmlspanA Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors/span/a by Alexander Jacoby. Schilling praises Jacobys diligence and precision and writes that Jacoby has written a book to not only consult but also argue with. The review is now online a href=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20090308a1.htmlhere/a.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-5231557795549478628?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Issac Stone Fish reviews The Pearl Jacket by Stone Bridge Press 12 May 2009 at 6:40pm a href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SgoE9n2WW_I/AAAAAAAAAqw/CcDmG9KA_oA/s1600-h/PearlJacketCVRsmall.jpgimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335082165289245682 style=DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center alt= src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SgoE9n2WW_I/AAAAAAAAAqw/CcDmG9KA_oA/s320/PearlJacketCVRsmall.jpg border=0 //a a href=http://http//www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330627?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330627The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories: Flash Fiction from Contemporary China/a, by Shouhua Qi, was recently reviewed by Issac Stone Fish. a href=http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=966Fish?s review/a, originally published in the span style=FONT-STYLE: italica href=http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=966Asian Review of Books/a/span, has since popped up on other websites such as a href=http://www.upiasia.com/Bookshelf/966/UPIasia.com /aand the a href=http://www.redroom.com/publishedreviews/the-pearl-jacket-and-other-stories-flas-fiction-contemporary-china-shouhua-qi-edRed Room/a. He discusses the books many stories. One in particular is the story of the ?Parrot.? Fish gives an analysis of the story by saying, ?The collection ends with the dystopian Parrot, about a poet whose parrot spews prophecies: Now, including yourself, there are only 13 people left in this town. Thats reality, you understand? The poet examines the town and finds the parrots words to be true. Returning home, the parrots mouth (its body has disappeared) exclaims that the other townspeople have died. The poet concludes all thats left for him is to become a parrot. Possibly symbolizing the death of individuality, this story, like the best of the genre, leaves the reader desiring something longer.?img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-5450542139467953707?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Watch Donald Richie on FORA.tv by Stone Bridge Press 11 May 2009 at 7:10pm Last month in Berkeley, we were honored by a fantastic evening of conversation between Donald Richie and Tom Luddy, hosted by Berkeley Arts amp; Letters. FORA.tv has put a href=http://fora.tv/2009/04/21/Life_in_Japanese_Film_Donald_Richiethe whole thing online/a, including the introduction by SBP publisher, Peter Goodman. Topics include Ozus tombstone, Kurosawa, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, China vs. Japan, and much more!br /br /img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-7266012150803386639?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Frederik L. Schodt awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by Stone Bridge Press 29 Apr 2009 at 2:00pm a href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sfibzyxv4WI/AAAAAAAAAqg/2ZSQIX51qQA/s1600-h/Order+of+the+Rising+Sun+Gold+Rays+with+Rosette.jpgimg style=margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sfibzyxv4WI/AAAAAAAAAqg/2ZSQIX51qQA/s320/Order+of+the+Rising+Sun+Gold+Rays+with+Rosette.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330181473099047266 border=0 //abr /a href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sfia9rXUJ1I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/VYgvbQyoY2A/s1600-h/FredWithBook.jpgimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/Sfia9rXUJ1I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/VYgvbQyoY2A/s200/FredWithBook.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330180543396194130 border=0 //aStone Bridge author Frederik L. span class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_0Schodt/span (a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330546?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330546The span class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_1Astro/span Boy Essays/a, a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188065623X?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=188065623XDreamland Japan/a, a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/RANALD/ranald.htmlNative American in the Land of the Shogun/a, span style=font-style: italic;America and the Four Japans/span, span style=font-style: italic; class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_2Manga/spanspan style=font-style: italic;! /spanspan style=font-style: italic; class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_3Manga/spanspan style=font-style: italic;!/span, a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880656337?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1880656337The Four Immigrants span class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_4Manga/span/a) has been awarded the prestigious span style=font-weight: bold;Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette/span by the Japanese Government for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture in the United States of America. The a href=http://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/archives/PR_e/2009/pr_09_0428a.htmannouncement/a includes a list of span class=blsp-spelling-error id=SPELLING_ERROR_5Schodts/span numerous a href=http://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/pdf/a_Schodt_en.pdfaccomplishments/a. This is a spectacular honor, and we are grateful for the recognition!img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-1807837846957571233?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Eve Kushner and Crazy for Kanji at Nikkei Matsuri in San Jose this weekend! by Stone Bridge Press 23 Apr 2009 at 3:14pm a href=http://www.pgbgroup.com/nikkeimatsuri/fish_w_purple.gifimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 213px; src=http://www.pgbgroup.com/nikkeimatsuri/fish_w_purple.gif alt= border=0 //aEve Kushner, author of the newly released, super-fun book a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/CrazyforKanji/CrazyforKanji.htmlCrazy for Kanji/a (and the blogger behind a href=http://blogs.japanesepod101.com/blog/category/kanji-curiosity/Kanji Curiosity/a) will be at a href=http://www.nikkeimatsuri.org/Nikkei Matsuri/a in San Jose Japantown this Sunday, April 26th, signing books and chatting about the mysteries of kanji. If you havent bought your copy yet, dont worry--books will be available for sale, and for now you can check out these a href=http://blogs.japanesepod101.com/?page_id=1863sample pages/a. Eve will be in the info booth all day. See you there!br /br /Thanks to the span style=font-style: italic;San Francisco Chronicle /spanfor a href=http://events.sfgate.com/san-jose-ca/events/show/86820144-eve-kushnerlisting the event/a.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-6471044326064508561?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Donald Richie in Berkeley, April 21st by Stone Bridge Press 1 Apr 2009 at 4:38pm We couldnt be more excited to announce this upcoming event with Donald in Berkeley! Dont miss it!br /bbr //ba href=http://www.kpfa.org/system/files/u3/Donald_and_Tom_Conversation.pngimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 205px; src=http://www.kpfa.org/system/files/u3/Donald_and_Tom_Conversation.png alt= border=0 //abTuesday, April 21br //bspan style=font-weight: bold;A Life in Japanese Film:/spanbr /span style=font-weight: bold;DONALD RICHIE in conversation with TOM LUDDY/spanbr /7:30 PM at First Congregational Church of Berkeley (2345 Channing Way at Dana)br /$10 ($5 students) at the door; co-sponsored by The Booksmith (theyll be selling books)br /a href=http://berkeleyarts.org/ eudora=autourlhttp://berkeleyarts.org//abr /br /Praised by critics from Susan Sontag to Tom Wolfe, Donald Richie is the foremost writer on Japanese culture in English. Born in Ohio in 1924, he has lived in Japan since 1947, except for time at Columbia University in the early 1950s and as curator of film at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in 1968?73. The author of some thirty books and dozens of essays, Richie is especially well known for his instrumental role in introducing Japanese film to the West and for his travel memoir a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880656698?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1880656698The Inland Sea/a, which was adapted into a popular PBS documentary. In addition to iThe Inland Sea/i, his books published by Berkeley-based Stone Bridge Press include a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330619?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330619Travels in the East/a, a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330236?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330236A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics/a, a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880656612?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1880656612The Donald Richie Reader/a, and a href=http://www.stonebridge.com/JAPANJOURNALS/JapanJournal.htmlThe Japan Journals/a. He recently wrote the forewords to a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330538?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330538A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors/a by Alexander Jacoby, and a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330090?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330090Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa/a by Teruyo Nogami.br /br /Richie is also an experimental filmmaker. In 1988, he was invited to be the first guest director at the Telluride Film Festival. At this special evening of recollection and conversation, Richie will discuss Japan and his insights into Japanese culture and especially Japanese film with bTom Luddy/b, co-founder and current co-director of the Telluride Film Festival and an executive and film producer with American Zoetrope.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-4184845200006473042?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Watch out! Anime Classics Zettai! likely to convert newcomers by Stone Bridge Press 31 Mar 2009 at 8:00pm a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330228?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330228img style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SdKzAKxAjvI/AAAAAAAAApk/rkEnpGugTYM/s200/ZettaiCOVER.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319510925349261042 border=0 //aBrian Camp and Julie Davis a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330228?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330228span style=font-style: italic;Anime Classics Zettai!/span/a gets a full-length review by critic Brett Taylor in the new issue of a href=http://www.videowatchdog.com/home/home.htmlspan style=font-style: italic;Video Watchdog/span/a (No. 148). Discussing the enthusiastic film guide alongside Dani Cavalleros 2007 book, span style=font-style: italic;Anime Intersections/span, Taylor notes that span style=font-style: italic;Zettai!/span is special because it can be enjoyed by the newcomer as well as the fan. In fact, he thinks that its likely to convert newcomers--we totally agree, and thats a big part of why we publish books about Japanese film, animated a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330538?ie=UTF8amp;tag=stobripre-20amp;linkCode=xm2amp;camp=1789amp;creativeASIN=1933330538and otherwise/a.br /br /a href=http://www.videowatchdog.com/home/images/Medium/148.jpgimg style=margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 265px; src=http://www.videowatchdog.com/home/images/Medium/148.jpg alt= border=0 //aThe review also appreciates that Camp takes the time to patiently explain the different formats and styles of Japanese animation, and that Camp and Davis cover such a large selection of intoxicating animated works.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-7100443415690431421?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / Tale of Two Sisters welcomes The Uninvited by Stone Bridge Press 26 Jan 2009 at 11:06am img style=float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 200px; src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SX3iXpGk6BI/AAAAAAAAApI/7bnvABoIWgg/s200/AsiaShockL.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295637632655878162 /br /Looking forward to the next fright flick span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;The Uninvited/span? Its a remake of director Kim Jee-woons span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;Tale of Two Sisters./span Like a lot of other Horrorwood movies these days. Check out more about Kim, span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;Two Sisters/span, and other Asian fright movies in Patrick Galloways span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;a href=http://stonebridge.com/AsiaShock/AsiaShock.htmlAsia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, amp; Thailand./a/spanbr /br /br /img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-1560203918160732903?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / (no title) by Stone Bridge Press 16 Jan 2009 at 1:35pm a href=http://www.amazon.com/Cape-Stories-Japanese-Ghetto-Fiction/dp/1933330430/ref=ed_oe_pimg style=margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SXDVwjG9icI/AAAAAAAAAog/A_9dI4myyik/s200/51O4CIKOMjL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291964592195209666 border=0 //abr /Today the span style=font-style: italic;New York Times /spanhad a front-page article on the outcast burakumin in Japan and their changing fortunes. For more insight into buraku communities in Japan and their social problems of generational violence, see Eve Zimmermans translation of Kenji Nakagamis span style=font-style: italic;The Cape and Other Stories/span. Powerful and insightful, these grim yet energetic stories present a little-seen view of modern Japan. We used to have more information about this book on our website, but it seems to have been replaced by a shorter listing. Ill see if we can restore the older version. Readers, this is an amazing story collection. Kawabata fans, hmm, maybe this isnt for you.br /br /Heres the link to the span style=font-style: italic;Times/span a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/world/asia/16outcasts.html?pagewanted=1amp;_r=1amp;sq=outcastsamp;st=cseamp;scp=1story/a. And heres a link to the span style=font-style: italic;Times/span a href=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E7D61330F937A15753C1A96F958260amp;scp=10amp;sq=burakuminamp;st=csereview/a of span style=font-style: italic;The Cape/span when it was first published.br /br /You can obtain span style=font-style: italic;The Cape/span a href=http://www.amazon.com/Cape-Stories-Japanese-Ghetto-Fiction/dp/1933330430/ref=ed_oe_ponline/a or at booksellers worldwide.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-7818821981535722236?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / A time to be thankful by Stone Bridge Press 26 Nov 2008 at 2:09am a href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SSz6V2QTBkI/AAAAAAAAAn8/bSLiO2UqrHI/s1600-h/naikan.jpgimg style=float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 200px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SSz6V2QTBkI/AAAAAAAAAn8/bSLiO2UqrHI/s200/naikan.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272864516992075330 //abr /Weve got a lot to be grateful for this season, despite our economic woes and the growing preference for screens and zines over tomes. Americans seem to want gravitas in everything except what they read. br /But things could be worse, I suppose. McCain could have won. But he didnt, so in January therell be one less turkey in Washington. One could tell the departing foul (sic) to get stuffed, or just flip him a bird on the way out. br /But why be mean-spirited? Lets enjoy family and friends and all the things in our lives that we like, and lets be grateful for all the people who have gone out of their way this year to give us a kind word, a pat on the back, a hot meal. br /For those who want to explore the web of their relationships with others, I encourage them to look at Gregg Krechs fascinating book about a href=http://stonebridge.com/NAIKAN/naikan.htmlspan class=Apple-style-span style=font-weight: bold;Naikan/span/a, a Japanese form of psychotherapy that explores not the self alone but the self in society. In our more crowded world and amid a growing sense of interdependence and mutual concern, its important to understand not justwhat makes me me, but what makes me and you us. For more about span class=Apple-style-span style=font-weight: bold;span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;naikan/span/span, visit the a href=http://www.todoinstitute.org/span class=Apple-style-span style=font-weight: bold;Todo Institute/span/a. Happy Thanksgiving!img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-1097556050871517145?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= / A good night for the English language by Stone Bridge Press 13 Nov 2008 at 12:29am a href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SRvDX3K07ZI/AAAAAAAAAn0/lfxD13fpS3o/s1600-h/NewYorker.jpgimg style=float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 200px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-hjFQZ3_FeM/SRvDX3K07ZI/AAAAAAAAAn0/lfxD13fpS3o/s200/NewYorker.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268019003853696402 //aSo glad I dipped into James Woods wonderful parsing of Obamas speechifying in this weeks span class=Apple-style-span style=font-style: italic;a href=http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/11/17/081117ta_talk_woodspan class=Apple-style-span style=font-weight: bold;New Yorker/span/a/span. Since Obamas election Ive watched You Tube and other postings of Obamas oratory, in particular his fabulous treatise on a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUUrace in America/a last spring and his a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQUacceptance speech/a in Chicago. Ive listened to these two speeches a couple times, yet still I get chills and now, with his victory, even teary-eyed. George never made me cry, only cry out, and Sarah made me wince. But listening to Obama, I get carried off on a near-dreamlike sea of rhetoric and meaning, and feel connected once again to my own past, my country, my civilization. br /Woods article analyzes the magic behind the power of Obama to move. Its magic, yes, but not a trick or a fabrication. While Obama  of course, like any great orator, weaves together words, rhythms, and images, he shows himself to be more a master allusionist, an exploiter of phrases that resonate through the American subconscious. By the people, for the people is maybe the most obvious example. Wood also points to Obamas clever archaism of where we are met with cynicism echoing Lincolns met on a great battlefield, and his use of the word promise to evoke the promised land that MLK claimed to see on the eve of his assassination. Barack being smart, and gifted, it is no coincidence that he is drinking from the well of these two leaders, both of whom have become iconic vessels of our nations yearning for both heroes and salvation.br /Its great to see smart language in a public place. And its great to see powerful oratory used to generate hope instead of fear. Im basically a words-on-the-page guy, but when it comes to making sweet music out of language, Obamas got my vote.img width=1 height=1 src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10926606-7044345782004188775?l=stonebridgepress.blogspot.com alt= /