Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Henry Miller

 


It had been many years since I last read a novel by Henry Miller, but having recently finished Nexus, the second part of his Rosy Crucifixion, I can safely say that I've jumped right back in. There really is nothing like Miller when he launches into a meditation on the debauched or neglected. Nexus is not Cancer or Capricorn, but then, I don't think Miller intended it to be. Nexus is, instead, a reflection on those critical years before leaving for Europe, before assuming his badge as an expatriate. Nexus is odd in this way: it has more plot, more linearity than Miller introduces elsewhere. But that is not a critique: Nexus reveals a more restrained Miller, but not one without literary merit. There are parts of Nexus where Miller simply seems to speak for me: his reflections anticipate my own; his observations approach mine. This is the universal quality that Miller seems to have achieved in so many of his works: this tendency to write for us, on behalf of us. Miller has much to say, and not all of it focuses on sexuality. Indeed, Nexus is a book largely devoid of this topic. But still, Miller's reflections are direct and profound -- and transcendent, too. He aspires to the angels, and there are moment when he undoubtedly reaches them. "But then a queen steps so lightly," he writes, "even when crushing a louse." It's good to be back!

Living the dream …

 … Fulfilling a youthful burning ambition to work on the river.

Just so you remember …

   … MNEMONIC. (Hat tip, Davr Lull,)

Listen in …

 … The Kindly Ones..

Path to Gethsemani …

 … Birthday posting for author of The Seven Story Mountain.

Death of a soldier …

 … “Life contracts and death is expected…”

Something to think on …

Hot lead can be almost as effective coming from a linotype as from a firearm.
John O’Hara, born on this date in 1905 

Hmm …

 (15) The Politics of Abortion - by William F. Vallicella.

Poetic competition …

  Li Bai at Yellow Crane Tower (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A fresh look at Poe …

 … Today’s Poem: Soul Bride Oddly Dead in Queer Death Pact. )hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Malapropism - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower —  Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Two of the best …

 … David McCullough on John Adams.

A nice dose of clarity …

… Terrorist and Non-Terrorist Gun-Related Deaths.

My favorite from the 60s and 70s …

 … Meet again the “so-called guru of Sixties counterculture”

Eager …

 … “…they took no lesson from destruction…”

Something to think on …

 I think that one is constantly startled by the things that appear before you on the page when you're writing.

Shirley Hazzard, born on this date in 1937

A poem for today. …

 … There’s a Certain Slant of Light. (Hat tip, Dave Ll.)

A word for today …

… Bonhomie | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Monday, January 29, 2024

Making a statement …

 … “Death…we do now behold thee gay and glad…”

TV memory …

 … It’s the birthday of Bentley Gregg and Charles Townsend.

History lesson …

 … 1776 by David McCullough.

Perishing …

…  “Some say the world will end…”

Yes and no …

 (15) Can Great Art Change Us? - by Micah Mattix - Prufrock. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A word for today …

… Dilatory - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower —  Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Something to think on …

The task of a writer is not to solve the problem but to state the problem correctly.
— Anton Chekhov, born on this date in 1860

Sunday, January 28, 2024

RIP …

… iroon.com: Blogs: Shigemoto Yasuhiko, the Poet of Hiroshima passed away. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

Something special for Sunday …

 … Glory be to God for dappled things –

Just out…

 … Down the Shore Poems by g emil reutter.


Cold War incident …

 … 3 U.S. military servicemen killed and tensions heightened.

Make your own masterpiece …

… Topeka Magazine | winter 2023 by Sunflower Publishing - Issuu. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Sure looks that way …

… .The News Business Really Is Cratering - POLITICO.

See also this.

Hmm …

 … About four-in-ten U.S. adults believe humanity is ‘living in the end times’.

It does feel that way sometimes.

A philosopher like no other …

 … Seeing Both Sides: St. Thomas Aquinas. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

There are no cheap shots or straw men in the Summa Theologica. Aquinas has no need of them; they would only corrupt what he is trying to do. When he debates the existence of God, he doesn’t cast aspersions on wicked atheists; he simply tries to make the strongest case for atheism before he gives his reasons for rejecting them and for affirming God’s existence. Thinking is complicated enough, without being further complicated by personalities – even one’s own personality

Guilty pleasures …

 … Escaping from the dull routine of existence.

A poem for today …

 … Barney Childs Ars Poetica.

A word for today …

… Mien | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

… with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Something to think on …

There are connoisseurs of blue just as there are connoisseurs of wine.
— Colette, born on this date in 1873

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Sure seems that way …

 … Canada Continues to New Find Ways to Mortgage Its Soul.


It’s even worse today …

… Too much college : Essays in Idleness. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.
I have fond memories from my college years, but I graduated 60:years ago.

Tribute …

 …  Milton, the mighty-mouth’d inventor of harmonies.

Hmm …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Allegory, Sonnet #621.

It’s come to this …

… College students aren't all that smart: IQ average falls to 102.


It’s nothing new …

… Niall Ferguson: The Treason of the Intellectuals | The Free Press.

Acrostic for Alice …

 … Boating beneath a sunny sky on the poet’s birthday.

A star is born …

 … Donna Belle Mullenger goes on to Hollywood fame.

Something to think on …

Courtesy is a small act but it packs a mighty wallop.
— Lewis Carroll, born on this date in 1832

A word for today …

… Sororal | Word Genius.

Horace and the Marx Brothers …

… Anecdotal Evidence: 'But, Take It From This Famous Pote [sic]'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Heartbreaking …

… Nigeness: The Butterfly. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Let us pray …

… with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Computer etiquette …

… Chatbots and Human Conversation - Schneier on Security. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Hollywood birthday Inbox …

 … WW2 Navy veteran became famous lawyer’s sleuth.


Remembering …

 … Author as Illusionist: William Maxwell on Literary Magic and Refusing to Give Up as a Writer.  (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Snow-flakes …

 … Something from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

A poem for today …

… Ad Ad Astra | Light. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.

Getting to know him …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Meet The American Who Served As The Model For Huck Finn, 'Kindly Young Heathen' Tom Blankenship.

Something to think on …

I'll be a poet, and you'll be poetry.

— François Coppée, born on this date in 1842

A word for the day …

… Orthography - Word Daily.

Just so you know …

… On Strictu Dictu and Holus Bolus - by William F. Vallicella.

Appreciation …

… Somerset Maugham at 150 - by Mark McGinness - The Oldie: Garner. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.’

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Me on Trump …

 A closer reading of Donald Trump.

Oh, they do?

… America's richest 1% and Ivy Leaguers say the rest of the country has TOO much personal freedom and want to ration food and electricity, shocking poll finds | Daily Mail Online.

Well, they can go to hell.

Not good …

… Colleges See 1,753% Spike in Antisemitism Since Hamas Attack.

Not really parties …

… Third Parties - by William F. Vallicella.

A word for today …

… Merino | Word Genius.

Beautiful …

… Italian Photographer Waits 6 Years for Perfect Moon Photo. (Hat tip, Rus. Bowden.)

About time …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Flight And Fight: The Feds Are Cracking Down on Violence Aboard Aircraft..

Snow flakes …

 … Something from Emily Dickinson.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flowed — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Something to think on …

The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.
— W. Somerset Maugham, born on this date in 1874

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Will no one rid us of this turbulent priest?

… Pope Francis again turns screws on use of traditional Latin Mass | Reuters.

Let’s see him set an example …

… Bioethicist Pushes Human Extinction | Evolution News.

Grab the can opener …

 … 91% of beer drinkers approved of it in 1935.

Such a good doggy! …

 … “How to clean my room”

Tenebrous prose …

… Septology: A Review - Ad Fontes. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Translation, when present, is always an issue for the reader. The task of Fosse’s translator, Damion Searls, was easy in one sense, but dauntingly difficult in another, I would imagine. As a Norwegian translator myself, I was interested to examine the original text. In terms of sheer faithfulness, I have to say this is probably as accurate a translation as you’ll ever encounter. The book’s vocabulary, as already mentioned, is limited, and the same phrases repeat again and again. Literary effects are produced, not through subtle phrasing and word selection, but through multiple iterations.

RIP …

… Charles Osgood, veteran CBS newsman and longtime host of "Sunday Morning," dies at 91 - CBS News. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Just so you know …

 (15) The End of Moderation - by William F. Vallicella.

Something to think on …

If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.
— Edith Wharton, born on this date in 1862

Word for today …

… Veridical | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower … Daily Scripture & Reflections

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

I have to look into this guy …

Remembering Nicholas Rescher, a Gentle Giant | John Haldane | First Things.. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Staggering in its scope and detail …

 … A mind-boggling mixture of fact and fiction.

Appreciation …

 …  Happy Birthday, Wé Ani, My Musical Tonic and Oasis. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Strange dude …

 … Remembering George Eastman. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)


The Dipper …

 … “It was winter, near freezing…”

Up, up and away …

 …  American inventor sells the “Flyin-Saucer” to toy company.

Act of war …

 …  Infamous attack upon and seizure of U.S. Navy ship.

Birthday greetings …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Happy 87th Birthday To Joseph Wambaugh, Former LAPD Detective Sergeant And The Author Of Classic Police Novels.

Something to think on …

A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader's soul.
— Stendhal, born on this date in 1783

A poem for today …

 … The Poet.

A word for the day …

… Sehnsucht - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 …with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Monday, January 22, 2024

He wasn’t cast as Meathead without reason …

… This Hollywood director just condemned Christians with one insane message that will leave you seeing red - Conservative Underground News.

This is pretty big …

… Leave the Pews | RealClearPolitics.

What became clear within that Facebook group and in so many other quarters since Oct. 7 is that much of secular Judaism, in both the Reform and Conservative branches, had become overtly political and not really religiously based at all. For many Jews, their religious identity had become so intertwined with leftist politics that they couldn’t force a separation even when they themselves were being targeted with their own bad ideas.

Maybe we shouldn’t teach the Constitution anymore, either …

… what with that pesky Second Amendment: Business Insider: Very Dangerous to 'Indoctrinate' Young Americans That They Can Lawfully Possess a Firearm - The Truth About Guns.

The amendment that reminds that we are an independent nation because we took up arms against the British Crown.

A Poe you may not know …

 …… on Fallen Angel: The Life of Edgar Allen Poe by Robert Morgan. (Hat tip, Dave.)

Odd ceremony …

 … Harry Truman and a cloak-and-dagger event in 1946.

Nice guy …

… Remembering Lenin - the First Great Communist Mass Murderer.

His followers weren’t too nice either. They should all be remembered as world-class scumbags. Pol pot seems to have been especially awful. How do people become like that? Schoolyard creeps that most of us could have decked with one punch.

Very thoughtful …

… Pastoral Practice After Fiducia Supplicans | Church Life Journal | University of Notre Dame.

My friend Katherine and I shared power attorney for a gay couple, who had stopped practicing gayness when they converted. I thinking the problem here is fidelity. Some people are gay. If they practicd fidelity to each other, I don’t see why, if they are faithful to each other, their relationship can’t be blessed. When Debbie and I married, we promised to be faithful to each other. Which I had recently to explain to a woman who, for some reason, finds me attractive. I would never break my marriage vows.

In between two worlds …

 … “Once in a wood at winter’s end…”

Starting over …

 … Hitting the books again 61 years after my first effort failed.

Judicial error …

 … Supreme Court makes profoundly flawed decision

Time for a smilr=

… Paul Davis On Crime: A Little Humor: Mark Twain On The Afterlife.

Nice combo …

 (15) On Book Coaches and Beautiful Czechs.

Something to think on …

Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.
— August Strindberg, born on this date in 1849

A poem for today …

 … Stephen Sandy — Great Plains Dooryard.

A useful example of clear thinking …

 (15) On 'Over-Represent' - by William F. Vallicella.

A word for today …

… Neophilia | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Time for a chuckle …

… Paul Davis On Crime: A Little Humor: A Cowboy And His Coffee.

Lovely and sad …

 … The Wrecker and the Stranger.

Surely there are funds to restore it …

 … A Poet’s Legacy in Stone: Will Yeats’s Tower Survive? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Flannery O’Connor seems to have been fluent …

… St. Thomas Aquinas With a Southern Drawl | The Russell Kirk Center. (Hat tip,  Dave Lull.

… Professor Ference has made a major contribution to O’Connor reading and study. In the final chapter, the author asserts, “I do not think it is an exaggeration to argue that the soul of O’Connor’s fiction is Thomism.” He adds, “If a student desires to understand what gives O’Connor’s narrative art life, he or she must study O’Connor’s Hillbilly Thomism.” While this might overstate the case, Ference makes as strong an argument as anyone has for its veracity. 

Coping with snow …

… (15) The Coldest Place - by Glenn Harlan Reynolds.

…  there’s an even bigger preparedness lesson in this week’s events:  To protect yourself from power outages, bitch.  Loudly and a lot.

Lines for winter …

 … “… in that final flowing of cold through your limbs…”

Something to think on …

Art is thus materialized dream, separated from the ordinary consciousness of waking life.

— Pavel Florensky, born on this date in 1882

A poem for today …

… To a Snowflake by Francis Thompson - Poems | Academy of American Poets.

A word for today

… Picaresque - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Friday, January 19, 2024

The new Nazis …

 … Violent mob attacks the last place you’d ever expect,

Let us be clear: this abhorrent display was not a protest; it was an act of intimidation, a calculated insult to the vulnerable and a stain on the conscience of those who participated.

We were watching at our home near Pittsburgh …

 … 72% of TV sets were tuned in to watch her give birth.

Hmm …

… Poetry: Read It When You're Drunk - The New York Times

The haunted palace …

 … “In the greenest of our valleys…”

Just wonderful …

… DEI Destroys Excellence, Military Cohesion at Service Academies | RealClearDefense.

Famous fellow has birthday …

 … “Tomahawk man from the South” born in Boston MA

Deadline nears …

 … FINAL CALL TO SUBMIT: 2023 Booooooom Photo Awards.

RIP …

… Doctor/Poet Akshaya Pawaskar | North of Oxford.

Just so you know …

 … WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? No, The Bible Does Not Disprove Space Aliens.

Good news…

 … The Lawmakers Strike Back — Politicians Declare War On Shoplifters.

Preview …

 …  A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progress. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The snow man …

 … “One must have a mind of winter…”

A poem for today …

 … Luigia Sorrentino “even higher …”

A word for today …

… Tenebrous - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

… with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Outrage well deserved …

 … Advocates Outraged That Feds Asked Banks to Search Customers’ ‘Religious Texts’ Purchases.

“This is beyond alarming,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told The Epoch Times. “If we did a word search in history of the type of activities the Biden administration is engaged in, it would return words like ‘KGB,’ ’totalitarian,‘ ’repressive,’ ‘anti-democratic,’ and ‘grave threat to freedom.’”

A poem …

 For the Spotted Owl

By Jennifer Knox

...a poem on the controversy wherein the legal protection offered by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 failed to protect the endangered northern spotted owl because many jobs were at stake in the lumber and paper industries of the Pacific northwestern United States.


A stained-glass window shines between each branch.

Tall spires rise to candelabras of stars,

And all is well where the spotted owl flies.


You with the heart on your sleeve, what do you think-

Shall we let the spotted owl and all of nature be?

Who are we to stand in the way of progress?


Explain to me a spider web strung with dew-

Each drop catching the colors of a rainbow,

And all is well where the spotted owl flies.


Consider pine-green mist, where the selfish

Giant takes down trees wherever he goes.

Who are we to stand in the way of progress?


I spy through the keyhole of my cement jungle

A holy land where beauty abounds.

All is well where the spotted owl flies.


Let's all go into that final sunset

And let the spotted owl and all of nature be.

Who are we to stand in the way of progress?

All is well where the spotted owl flies

Birdsong …

 … “When frost was spectre-grey… “

RIP …

… Peter Schickele, Composer and Gleeful Sire of P.D.Q. Bach, Dies at 88 - The New York Times.

Alwas a good idea …

… Just Think! by Robert W. Service | Poetry Foundation. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden, who notes that Service would have turned 150 this past Tuesday.)

Take a look at these …

… Swirling Photographs Underwater Evoke Baroque Paintings | Moss and Fog. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

Very interesting …

Bruce Charlton's Notions: The character of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Another word …

Desideratum | Word Genius.

A word for today …

…  Doggerel - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Something to think on …

Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
— Jacob Bronowski, born on this date in1908

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Appalling …

… The Return of the Swastika - Tablet Magazine.

This anti-Semitism resurgence is really worrisome. None of these moral morons had better run into me. I remember that guy Hitler.

Exactly when …

… did Canada become a totalitariam state?  — Jordan Peterson throws down, warns 'the war has barely started' after Canadian court affirms he must undergo 're-education' | Blaze Media.

Re-education is what the old Soviet Union used to subject dissenters to.Thought proceeds better when different viewpoints are discussed in dialogue (see Plato and Aristotle). Canada deserves all the mockery it gets for this.

Blizzard …

 … “…his solitary track stretched out upon the world.”

Time for a chuckle …

… Trump Promises Vivek An Administration Position Running The White House 7-Eleven | Babylon Bee. (Hat tip, Paul David.)

Choices …

 … “I go to the mountain side…”

Q&A …

… John Gray and Peter Thiel: Life in a postmodern world - New Statesman.

Listen in …

 … Episode 572 – Sammy Harkham.

Something to think on …

If what they say is right we're none of us going to have time to do all that we planned to do. But we can keep on doing it as long as we can.
— Neville Shute, born on this date in 1899

A word for today …

… Panache - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Cosmological news …

… Ultra-Large Structure Discovered in Distant Space Defies Our Current Understanding of the Universe.

Ms. Lopez is obviously uncommonly smart. This is a must-read.

Sounds good to me …

We need to free Greta Thunberg - UnHerd.

I think she’s be used.

Poem for winter …

 … “The cold earth slept below…”

In case you wondered …

 (15) Is it Ever Legitimate to Question Motives?

Something to think on …

The writer's first job is not to have opinions but to tell the truth... and refuse to be an accomplice of lies and misinformation.
— Susan Sontag, born on this date in 1933

Word for today …

… Hoarfrost - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Monday, January 15, 2024

In memoriam …

 … The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.—A Proud Unapologetic Zionist.

Just so you know …

 … Biden Administration Antisemites Plan Massive Walkout..

Neither can I …

 … I Can't Believe This Is a Real Science Class at a Real University.

learning poetry …

… The American Scholar: Bicentennial Beginnings - <a href='https://theamericanscholar.org/author/seth-lerer/'>Seth Lerer</a>. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Are they crazy?

 … FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with ‘severe intellectual’ and ‘psychiatric’ disabilities.

Snow day …

 … “Today we woke up to a revolution of snow…”

Winter trees …

 … “All the complicated details…”

Another word …

… Obstreperous - Word Daily.

A poem for today …

 … Siri von Reis Vast Problem Still Obscure.

Something to think on …

I assure you, an educated fool is more foolish than an uneducated one.
— Moliere, born on this date in 1622

A word for today …

… Couturier | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Getting to know them …

 5 Facts About the Infamous Crime Duo Bonnie and Clyde.

Travelin’ man …

Now Is Next.

Each goes with other …

… Political Argumentation and Political Evolution.

Our dubious media …

… The Greatest Islamophobia Hoax in America Exposed | Frontpage Mag.

Signed and settled …

 … Ratifying the treaty and ending the war.

The bells are ringing …

 … Famous athlete and pop culture beauty get married.

A wise msn indeed …

… Romano Guardini: A Man of His Times, A Man for Our Own | The Russell Kirk Center. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In his insightful introduction to this recently published volume of Guardini’s works entitled The World and the Person: And Other Writings, Robert Royal describes him as a profoundly influential figure, notable as he “combines the academic rigor of the heyday of German intellectual life with the gentler human qualities of Italian culture.” His influence has seeped into the twenty-first century through no less than Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, both of whom studied Guardini’s thought as doctoral students.

Something to think on …

Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession - their ignorance.
— Hendrik Willem van Loon, born on this date in 1882

Purposeful reading …

… The Lamp Magazine | The Lifetime Reading Plan. (Hat tip, Dave Lull..)

A word for today …

… Haberdasher - Word Daily.

Tragedy at sea …

 … This is not a drill! We have fire on the flight deck!

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Saturday, January 13, 2024

RIP …

… Father Boyd : Essays in Idleness. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Remembering Rabelais …

… The Resurrection of the Bawdy. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

“[. . .] there must be a reciprocal relationship between our high culture and our low. High culture does not come from nothing. Rather, it alchemizes over time from a vast swamp of low culture in which a community is working out, in some form or another, the problem of the body, of what it means to be a human, to exist as an eternal soul in a flatulent, flabby, fleshy shell, a shell that (somehow) God promises will be with us in Heaven

Success behind bars …

 … Turning his career around in Folsom Prison on 1/13/68.

Ah, yes …

… Zealotry of Guerin: Poetry and Fiction by Christopher Guerin: Ephemera.

Something to think on …

The Christian is like the ripening corn; the riper he grows the more lowly he bends his head.
— A. B. Guthrie, born on this date in 1901

A word for today …

… Adhocracy | Word Genius..

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections

Friday, January 12, 2024

Changed man …

 … The Tour Guide Who Shaped Twain’s Views on Race.

Something to crow about …

… 8 Captivating Facts About Crows | Interesting Facts.

Indeed …

… Trusting the science might work if there were actual science involved.

How can anyone reasonably be expected to trust scientific evidence when the entire system is so heavily biased in one political direction? Even unbiased studies that happen to have finding that just coincidentally coincide the progressive orthodoxy are going to be questioned simply because there’s no grounds for trusting that particular study in light of the heavy bias evidence elsewhere.



Fear and mindfulness …

… Hell’s Bells. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

My strong suspicion is that the West’s “mental health crisis” is really a spiritual health crisis. Our prevailing secular, materialist ideology denies our true identity as God’s children, made in His own image and likeness. We see ourselves as trousered apes and meat computers. Our media and technology cause us to disscociate from our environment: the people, plants, animals, and objects all around us. We’re cut off from our fellow creatures—from Creation. We dissociate ourselves from Reality and collapse into subjectity, becoming easy prey to those fears which the Evil One plants within us.

Dangerous sticks, stones, and words …

 … Another book and language ban that boggles my mind.

Blogging note …

 I got a lte start this morning and must go out for my morning walk. Blogging will resume later on.

Another word …

… Cetology | Word Genius.

A word for today …

… Propinquity - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Something to think on …

The Wild still lingered in him and the wolf in him merely slept.
— Jack London, born on this date in 1876


Thursday, January 11, 2024

Another word …

… (15) Introducing: Ancient Greek Word of the Week!

Food for thought …

 … Yet another thing for which we must thank Ben Franklin.

Something to think upon …

 You may not get everything you dream about, but you will never get anything you don't dream about. 

— William James, botr on this date in 1842


Quite a guy …

… The labyrinth of Guy Davenport's mind - UnHerd. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Davenport was a friend of my late friend John Davison.

There are more than you may think …

… Open Access Journals in Philosophy - Daily Nous. (Hat ip, Rus Bowden.)

Just so you know …

… Who Was Gertrude Stein? More Than a Poet & Collector. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.(

Worth pondering …

 (15) Political Action and the Principle of Le Meiux est l'Ennemi du Bien

A word for today …

… Abrogate - Word Daily.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Appreciation …

… RIAN JOHNSON ON THE GENIUS OF JOHN DICKSON CARR JOHNSON ON THE GENIUS OF JOHN DICKSON CARR. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

The first quality that blows your hair back in any of Carr’s novels is so fundamental that it’s easy to take it for granted: beyond the plotting or the puzzling, beyond the mystery itself, first and foremost the man is just one hell of a writer. Like walking into a well-put-together room, when you’re in the hands of a good writer you can just feel it. His prose is genteel without being fussy, brisk but rich, funny while keeping your feet in the dirt, and all of it woven with that effortless breeze of step that we as readers recognize and happily fall in behind. 

Now they tell us…

… BBC: Yeah, Our 'Summary Executions by IDF in Gaza' Report Was Full of Crap.

Simply common sense

 …Persuading most ordinary Americans.

Something to think on …

Long live freedom and damn the ideologies.
— Robison Jeffers, born on this date in 1887

A word for today …

… Georgic | Word Genius.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Tuesday, January 09, 2024

For today …

 A Poem A Day | January. (Hat tip, Dave Lull)

Something to think on …

Art must not serve might.
 Karel Čapek, born on this date in 1890

Good news …

… Biden Administration Withdraws Proposal To Remove William Penn Statue, After National Backlash | The New York Sun. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Why don’t you have them marry?

 … Story started as one featuring playboy and his girlfriend.

Red alert …

 …  Warning: Americans are “moving through a perilous time.”

A word for today …

… Contretemps - Word Daily.

Hmm …

… Paul Davis On Crime: Putin Goes Full Bond Villain.

Let us pray …

 … with the Little Flower — Daily Scripture & Reflections.

Monday, January 08, 2024

Curtain …

 … The Blockade of Boston interrupted by nearby attack.

Revised and updated …

 … U.S. debt goes to zero and financial crisis follows.

Keeping out dissenters …

 … Welcome to the Conformity Gauntlet!

Just so you know …

… Harvard Is Still Anti-Semitic | Power Line.

What’s the difference?

… Bullshitting and Lying - by William F. Vallicella.

First by the first …

 … President’s State of the Union address in New York City.

Good choice …

 … He wanted a rifle or a bicycle but received a $7.75 guitar.

Pathetic …

 … Park Service To Remove Statue of William Penn From Philadelphia Park, Replace It With More ‘Inclusive’ Displays. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

No matter that he founded the city.

Quite a tale …

The Peculiar Story of C. S. Lewis and Janie King Moore | Bethel McGrew | First Things. (Hat tip, Dave Ull.)