(A discussion post on the www.facebook.com group: Calvinism: The Group That Chooses You.)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Should Christians Fight? Some Thoughts
(A discussion post on the www.facebook.com group: Calvinism: The Group That Chooses You.)
White Christmas
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Politics in a Post-Literate Society
"Forget Red vs. Blue -- It's the Educated vs. People Easily Fooled by Propaganda"
By Chris Hedges
In our post-literate world, because ideas are inaccessible, there is a need
for constant stimulus. News, political debate, theater, art and books are
judged not on the power of their ideas but on their ability to entertain.
Cultural products that force us to examine ourselves and our society are
condemned as elitist and impenetrable.. . . It feels good not to think. Full article here.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
End of semester reflections
-After submitting a paper in which she expressed her distaste for freeganism, a student decided to investigate for herself and went dumpster diving with a friend. They had great fun and found a perfectly good file cabinet, a set of John Deere tools, and a large bag of unmoldy bagels, among other things. The student enthusiastically showed a video of her adventures to the class.
-For the first time, I taught the story “The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas” by Ursula K. LeGuin. We had a meaningful discussion about America’s “non-negotiable” lifestyle and a former Wal-Mart employee suggested we stage a protest. This was even before the Black Friday trampling tragedy. An article about the story is forthcoming.
-Amidst much groaning and grumbling, I forced students to act out scenes from Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House. Duplicating the scene in which Nora dances a frenetic tarantella for her domineering husband, a middle aged mechanic/Army vet (male) rolled up his pants to show some leg and proceeded to sachet around the classroom shaking my daughter’s toy tambourine. Uproarious laughter ensued. Ah, for the good old Shakespearean days when men played the female leads . . .
-A student cited Ron Paul as a source in a research paper without any prompting, coaxing, or threats from me.
-I taught three Flannery O’Connor stories--as always, some “get” her and some don’t. Flannery (we’re on a first-name basis) always manages to make me laugh, not take myself so seriously, and reminds me that so much of human machination is hogwash. A wise person on the Internet once said that reading Flannery is like waiting at a railroad crossing catching glimpses between train cars of the scenery beyond--you can’t quite make it out, but you know it’s something wonderful and mysterious. Although it wasn’t this semester, one of my finest Hallmark-shed-a-single-tear moments of past ends-of-semesters occurred when a student who was wise beyond her years simply said, “Thanks for the Flannery.” If I meet Flannery in heaven, I doubt I’ll be able to say much except “Thanks for the stories.”
Friday, December 5, 2008
Girls' day out at the beach
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Rod Dreher on Wendell Berry
The root of our collective crisis is as old as humanity itself: We've been
overcome by a colossal sense of pride, which entails the Luciferian belief that
we can be as gods. "The problem with us is not only prodigal extravagance," [Berry]
writes. "but also an assumed limitlessness. We have obscured the issue by
refusing to see that limitlessness is a godly trait."
In the months and years to come, we all will have to learn the meaning
of limits. Wendell Berry is no dour scold who preaches a joyless austerity. To
the contrary, he tells us that what we truly seek in life is not comfort, but
meaning – and that you don't have to live a life of rigorous asceticism to find
it. Rather, we only need to order our lives around the ancient idea that
happiness depends on virtue – virtue lived in community. We can only be
fulfilled by living within the bounds prescribed by our nature, and in fidelity
not to our selfish desires but to the greater good of our families, friends and
communities.Full article here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
From Eugene Genovese, 1994
The Southern Tradition: The Achievement and Limitations of an American Conservatism by Eugene D. Genovese, Harvard University Press, 1994, page 19.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Birthday present
"In short, to read Flannery O'Connor with an adequacy of attention is, as someone once suggested, on the order of Horatio seeing the ghost of Hamlet's father: 'It harrows me with fear and wonder.' How well, in other words, she could separate out the sentimental syrup, the cloying treacle of so much contemporary literature, seeing right to the bone and marrow of real meaning. Not to have understood this, of course, and thus to be pulverized and never quite know why, is the fate of all sentimentalists" (45).
"Her preferred way to persuade the godless that God had better not be dead . . was to spin tales which truthfully rendered the consequences of their belief that He was. Here she would unfailingly flesh out for her readers what surely must remain the most ludicrous aspect of our fall from grace, to wit, our persisting and sentimental refusal to acknowledge that we had and have" (42).
"Even at its antiseptic best, ours is an age wrapped in cellophane. Can it not be a good thing, now and again, to pierce the cellophane?" (34)
Pierce away.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Film Adaptation of McCarthy's "The Road"
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Garden Report: 07 June 2008
We ate the last of the lettuce in mid-May. The Parris Island and Capistrano Romaine grew best into April and May, the other varieties bolting soon after it warmed up in March. The Freckles Romaine did well and looked good in the garden but didn’t grow as large or as thick as the other Romaines.
My garlic bulbed and has been harvested, but never grew as large as last year, and most of my onions have flowered and never bulbed.
We planted five blueberry bushes and three blackberry bushes.
Most of our tomatoes have been potted up into three gallons or are planted into larger containers. We have about sixty plants. Last year that was just about the right amount. The Giant Tree Tomatoes have been planted along the north fence and are trellised. We have two eggplants planted into the garden and they’ve been producing for about three weeks. There are several more eggplants elsewhere that are a few weeks behind. The peppers are doing well. They’re planted into the garden in various locations. The Sweet Bananas, College 64L, and Jalapenos have been producing for a few weeks as well.
We added an eighty square foot raised bed along the south fence. It currently has nightshades and herbs growing in it. Most of the herbs are growing very well: the Basil, Dill, Chives, and Cilantro growing best.
The cucumbers are doing very well. The Bush Champions may be the best variety of cucumbers I’ve tried.
The squash has been producing since mid-May. The Early White Bush Scallop Squash is more susceptible to stinkbug damage than the yellow or the zucchinis. The Burpee’s Hybrid Zucchini is again this year an amazing plant. We only have two plants and that’s more than enough. There have been very few problems from stinkbugs, squashbugs or vineborers. I’ve removed some yellow and white squash plants due to bug damage. Today I planted New Zealand Spinach in the place of the former squash.
That’s about all we’re growing right now except for the flowers all over the place. Pretty soon I guess we’ll start thinking about the fall garden.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Insight from Rev. B. M. Palmer, 1876
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Naomi's Baptism
Monday, April 21, 2008
20th April Planting
Lettuce Photos: 21 April 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Gardening Report: 06 April 2008
Various Lettuce in one of our porch containers
Nightshades in our greenhouseSaturday, March 29, 2008
Gardening Report: 29 March 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
19 March Planting
Today we planted into a tray the following varieties: Mammoth Sunflowers, Sweet Basil, Mammoth Dill, Early Golden Summer Crookneck Squash (55 days), Burpee’s Hybrid Zucchini (50 days), Cool Breeze Cucumber (45 days). We also planted into the south east garden the following varieties of Sunflowers: Mammoth, Aztec Gold Hybrid, Cutting Gold, Chianti Hybrid.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
March First Planting
The following varieties were directly planted into the garden: Bush Champion Cucumbers (55 days), Burpee’s Hybrid Zucchini (50 days), Early Golden Summer Crookneck Squash (53 days), Early White Bush Scallop Squash (50 days). I also planted more Evergreen Bunching Onions and Crimson Giant Radishes.