Monthly Archives: August 2008

Mood, and a thought on Partisanship

I am not in a bad mood. I am in an awful mood. I’m doing my best to remember that “I’m better than this,” but I need to get out, get my mind off where it wants to go. I hate how my past defines me, let me put it that way. And I hate …

August 31, 2008 – 8:40 pm | By ashok | Posted in academia, personal, politics | Comments (5)

Resolved: On Death Cab for Cutie’s “The New Year”

for Nancy The New Year Death Cab for Cutie (lyrics and song available at songmeanings.net/jango) So this is the new year And I don’t feel any different The clanking of crystal Explosions off in the distance in the distance So this is the new year And I have no resolutions For self-assigned penance For problems …

August 30, 2008 – 5:43 pm | By ashok | Posted in music | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The Politics of Denial: On Senator Obama’s Acceptance Speech (Warning: This is Very Partisan)

I’m going to rebut Senator Obama’s positions with Republican talking points, and then make a broader comment about what a sensible liberal has to do in order to achieve the most important items on their agenda. The speech I’m quoting from is here. I will provide links to the sources backing up my arguments as …

August 29, 2008 – 1:22 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , | Comments (24)

Links, Russia-Georgia Conflict Edition, 8/28/2008

Globalsecurity.org is very reliable, and often contains facts you don’t see reported anywhere else, but are vital to making a judgment of any sort. Sometimes a judgment is made in the mere reporting of facts, for example from their front page on this topic now: “Russian officials and Russian commentators magnified the significance of this …

August 28, 2008 – 4:54 am | By ashok | Posted in links, politics | Tagged | Comments (0)

Not Terribly Objective Thoughts on a Portion of the Democratic Convention

I only saw Senator Kerry, Lt. Gen. Kennedy, Rep. Chet Edwards and the Spielberg/Hanks video, Beau Biden and Joe Biden, so my remarks are limited to that alone. Disclaimer: I do vote Republican, support President Bush, and am voting for McCain. 1. Senator Kerry did his best to completely derail the Obama campaign. He remarked …

August 28, 2008 – 3:33 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (0)

Links to Friends, 8/27/08

Gracchi reviews Wall-E: his review is very quotable in places. Ario discusses his holiday in Norfolk, and makes England actually sound appealing (I’d rather be in Montreal) while musing on the nature of poetry and reality. Jennifer talks about a recent trip while documenting parts of it visually.

August 27, 2008 – 4:08 pm | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (1)

Is Love Possible? On Dickinson’s “I could suffice for Him, I knew…” (643)

“I could suffice for Him, I knew…” (643) Emily Dickinson I could suffice for Him, I knew – He – could suffice for Me – Yet Hesitating Fractions – Both Surveyed Infinity – “Would I be Whole” He sudden broached – My syllable rebelled – ‘Twas face to face with Nature – forced – ‘Twas …

August 26, 2008 – 8:31 pm | By ashok | Posted in dickinson, poetry | Tagged , , | Comments (32)

Attended a wedding this weekend. In case you were curious about who got married:

For Mignon and Aaron Thurow, with faith, hope, & of course love In the past, Mignon has devoted considerable energy to examining the virtue of hope. Aaron has spoken at length of how our age refuses to believe people can act for a cause, can be motivated by faith more than self-interest. It is our …

August 25, 2008 – 9:30 pm | By ashok | Posted in academia, love, personal | Tagged | Comments (1)

Sketch for a Song, Part 1

She wants to be carried away, and it isn’t unreasonable, even though it is literally unreasonable. Her life has been pain caused by a number of indecisive men and their desire to possess her, she thinks. The pain is real; the tyranny of awful expectation is real. Perhaps it is the fact that they’re holding …

August 22, 2008 – 9:35 pm | By ashok | Posted in love, personal | Tagged | Comments (0)

More on whether the US is a nation of predatory lending and unwarranted debt, or a land of opportunity, or what

At least 3 of my friends have objected to Barbara Dafoe Whitehead’s lament that once upon a time we were a thrifty nation and savings were stable and grew well and now boohoohoo nothing works anymore because people can invest their own money. No one is saying there aren’t problems with the current arrangement, but …

August 21, 2008 – 9:08 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (0)