A Wall Street Journal letter uses “Silas Marner” to blame the California wildfires on state agencies–thereby missing a chance to use it against the real culprit.
Author Archives: Robin Bates
George Eliot Applied to Climate Change
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged California wildfires, climate change, George Eliot, Silas Marner, Wall Street Journal Leave a comment
Jesus, Defender of the Oppressed
Washington bishop Budde pleaded with Trump to be merciful, following in the tradition of Jesus and Nicagaruan poet Ernesto Cardenal.
Le Guin: Imagining Trump Alternatives
In wrestling how to counter Trumpism, Le Guin counsels us to expand what we see as possible.
Zadie Smith and Multicultural Tennis
A tennis episode in Zadie Smith’s “Swing Time” comes to mind after a minor blow-up at the Australian Open involving Ben Shelton, son of Bryan Shelton.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Australian Open, Ben Shelton, Bryan Shelton, Election 2024, multiculturalism, Swing Time, Zadie Smith Leave a comment
On Odysseus & Trump’s Desecration
Odysseus lambasts the suitors for desecrating all that is holy. One can imagine him doing the same to Trump.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged climate change, Covid, Donald Trump, Homer, Odyssey, World Health Organization Leave a comment
MLK’s Lesson for the Trump Era
MLK’s birthday coinciding with a white supremacist ascending to the presidency reminds us that MLK refused to give up in the face of such reversals.
Running into the Fire
Oliver and Whyte have poems about running toward fire, an unsettling metaphor during this fire season but thematically sound.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Fire in the Earth", "Fire", David Whyte, John the Baptist, Mary Oliver, Moses Leave a comment
Franklin on Freedom of the Press
Benjamin Franklin’s poem about the necessity of a free press is remarkably timely.
