Monthly Archives: June 2008

The Only Translation Software I Trust Nowadays…

…is this, and it does come up with a different translation each time. Here’s what I got most recently: But a “proposizzle is sum-m sum-m tizzy has ta be proved true or false with the S-N-double-O-P. It is not necessarily true. To be dedicated ta proposizzles is a matta of belief . Put ya mutha …

June 15, 2008 – 7:16 am | By ashok | Posted in blogging, links | Comments (1)

Well, My Mom’s Famous…

Yes, that’s my Mother – and the story accompanying the photo is accurate.

June 15, 2008 – 3:47 am | By ashok | Posted in personal | Tagged | Comments (1)

Opportunity

The lilies my Mother has planted outside our house are bold, despite the sunlight poured upon them recently. They are bent slightly down, away from the sun, suffering from the heat. But their orange color is very healthy, their petals are strong, their stems and leaves are green and not fading. They are ready to …

June 14, 2008 – 2:28 am | By ashok | Posted in personal | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Rant: I Do Teach Politics. But Most People Think Politics Requires No Skill, And Therefore Can’t See What I’m Up To

Very rough, only an outline of an answer. Once again I’ve been asked for the 928347927972th time why I write on poetry and philosophy if I’m a political scientist. I think I’ve answered that at length before with commentary on how we relate to our heritage and the state of the media. Now I want …

June 13, 2008 – 8:57 am | By ashok | Posted in education, politics | Tagged , | Comments (1)

An Oblique Place

“War feels to me an oblique place” – Emily Dickinson “only if you’re losing” – Joshua Rocks 1. Maurice S. Lee’s “Writing through the War: Melville and Dickinson after the Renaissance” in the Oct. 2000 PMLA contains a solid discussion of “oblique” on page 1126: Oblique here can mean not only obscure or devious. Grammatically …

June 12, 2008 – 7:51 am | By ashok | Posted in dickinson, poetry | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Romance of the Ages: On Dickinson’s "I had not minded – Walls…" (398)

“I had not minded – Walls…” (398) Emily Dickinson I had not minded – Walls – Were Universe – one Rock – And far I heard his silver Call The other side the Block – I’d tunnel – till my Groove Pushed sudden thro’ to his – Then my face take her Recompense – The …

June 10, 2008 – 10:21 am | By ashok | Posted in dickinson, poetry | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Frustration

When I look out at a blue sky and see birds soar, I wonder how they deal with that oppression, the oppression of being free only through unattachment.

June 8, 2008 – 3:03 am | By ashok | Posted in personal | Comments (2)

Questions regarding the Lincoln Memorial

Following up on the last post about my time with Collegium, Christine and Bill in DC. Again, many thanks for their observations and thoughts, which are reflected below. The Lincoln Memorial stands tall, as if out of reach. Wikipedia notes that the columns are Doric but doesn’t talk about the frontal access to the temple …

June 7, 2008 – 2:00 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Links, 6/04/08

Bach’s Art of the Fugue is apparently in fashion nowadays – the article linked has samplings of a recent (and very good) recording as well as an explanation of how a fugue works. Jennifer’s description of some chocolate ice cream she recently made is too delicious for my words to describe. Josh’s review of the …

June 4, 2008 – 5:13 pm | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (0)

Thoughts on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Shout-outs to begin: I was in the DC area this weekend with Collegium Cantorum and my friends Christine and Bill. We sang at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill at the 10:30 am Mass (6/1), and also at a Holy Hour on 5/30 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Annandale, VA. A few of us went …

June 2, 2008 – 2:11 pm | By ashok | Posted in personal, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (1)