A 9th century poem honoring Yom Kippur.
Monthly Archives: September 2017
Update on My Heart Condition
I now have a possible explanation for last week’s heart episode. Henry Fielding’s “Tom Jones” helped lead me to it.
Facebook Escapes Its Creator
After refusing to acknowledged it was used by the Russians, Facebook is admitting that operatives did in fact buy ads that influenced the election. The Frankenstein story comes to mind.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Facebook, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Russian election intervention Comments closed
Free Speech on College Campuses
Pew says that millennials are more in favor of policing offensive speech than other groups, which helps explain some of the commotion on college campuses. I seek to understand why and how to use literature to address it.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Alan Bloom, Closing of American Mind, first amendment, free speech, Jeff Sessions, respect, tolerance Comments closed
Will Ships Be Sent to Puerto Rico?
We need to send ships to Puerto Rico as we did to Haiti following the earthquake. I imagine them showing up as the unexpected ships in the “Lord of the Rings” siege of Gondor.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged hurricanes, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Puerto Rico, U.S. aid Comments closed
Trump in Chaucer, Shakespeare & Conrad
When compared to people called “dotard” in Chaucer and Shakespeare, Trump fits the insult hurled at him by Kim Jong-un. His statement to African leaders, meanwhile, makes him sound like a “Heart of Darkness” ivory trader.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Africa, Capitalism, Donald Trump, Geoffrey Chaucer, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Kim Jong-un, King Lear, Wife of Bath, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Dissolving into the Glories of the Sun
Andrew Marvell’s “On a Drop of Dew” compares the soul’s visit to the earth realm to a dew drop. In the process, he references the manna in the wilderness, today’s Old Testament reading.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged ", "On a Drop of Dew", "Waterfall", Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan, Intimations of Immortality, manna in the wilderness, Transcendence, William Wordsworth Comments closed
How Tolstoy Would Judge Jeff Sessions
Leo Tolstoy, who calls out public officials who abuse the public trust, would have choice words for the American attorney general.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, Leo Tolstoy, public corruption, Resurrection Comments closed
Famous Physicians to the Rescue
Thursday I’m back home after a scare. As I reported yesterday, I was flown to the MedStar Washington Hospital Tuesday afternoon because the doctors feared I was having a heart attack. Once there, however, I learned that I had pericarditis, which they treated and then sent me home 24 hours later. I am tired but […]
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Wheezles and Sneezles", A. A. Milne, heart attacks, illnesses Comments closed
