Monthly Archives: January 2009

Links, 1/19/09

An Interview with Kay Ryan (h/t Ario) – some absolute gems in here: When I started writing nobody rhymed—it was in utter disrepute. Yet rhyme was a siren to me. I had this condition of things rhyming in my mind without my permission. Still I couldn’t take end-rhyme seriously, which meant I had to find …

January 19, 2009 – 7:36 pm | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (0)

Hive Building in Progress

The scariest thing about writing the dissertation for me isn’t secondary sources or footnotes or formatting. It isn’t even the argument I may or may not have. The scariest thing is anticipating the defense – there’s so much stuff I still don’t know I’m technically responsible for. And the worst thing is the number of …

January 19, 2009 – 12:09 am | By ashok | Posted in personal | Comments (0)

Do Modern Politics depend on some Manichaeist outlook, an almost perpetual Good/Evil conflict? On President Bush’s Farewell Address

for George W. Bush, with thanks 1. Before I address the question in the title, a few scattered observations: I don’t know about you, but it definitely feels like in this country the s**t has hit the fan after Obama’s election. The inability to get rid of this Blagojevich loser and that Burris nutcase, who …

January 16, 2009 – 2:27 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Comments (2)

Rant: How is it that genuinely dumb bloggers can achieve a decent amount of popularity?

Please note I’m not talking about bloggers who blog about unintellectual things: it takes an enormous amount of skill to write engaging stuff about celebrities or video games consistently. I’m not getting on anyone’s case for post length, topics written about, number of posts per day, etc. I’m only concerned with one thing: there is …

January 15, 2009 – 12:33 am | By ashok | Posted in blogging, politics | Comments (3)

Divine Terror: On Emily Dickinson’s “I fear a Man of frugal Speech” (543)

“I fear a Man of frugal Speech…” (543) Emily Dickinson I fear a Man of frugal Speech – I fear a Silent Man – Haranguer – I can overtake – Or Babbler – entertain – But He who weigheth – While the Rest – Expend their furthest pound – Of this Man – I am …

January 14, 2009 – 12:17 am | By ashok | Posted in dickinson, poetry | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Links, 1/12/2009

Whatever happened to Mendelssohn? (h/t aldaily.com) – the author starts making some dubious claims in order to answer the question, i.e. “And then there is the intensity of his love for Fanny [his own sister], too close for comfort and evidently repressed. Often in Mendelssohn we hear elegance when the music suggests something more.” It’s …

January 12, 2009 – 3:44 pm | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (0)

Briefly Noted: That Republican “Rebuild the Party” Site is Excellent

The “Rebuild the Party” Plan | Rebuild the Party at Ning.com The GOP should really be proud of what is going on with this “Rebuild the Party” project. It should be noted that the plan is a bit wordy and not every goal makes perfect sense. I’d rather the people behind this lead by example, …

January 11, 2009 – 1:52 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (3)

Speculation: How exactly are identity politics dangerous? What can be done about it?

As always, everything below is subject to change, esp. considering that in Aristotle there is a distinction between envy and jealousy that I forget which might make a number of these arguments invalid. 1. A colleague, whose judgment I refer to in matters of Shakespeare, Herodotus, Homer and a number of other thinkers, said his …

January 7, 2009 – 9:57 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Comments (5)

Remarks delivered at the University of Dallas Due Santi Campus, 1/4/09

for Marilyn Walker and the Collegium Cantorum The University of Dallas isn’t really a place, but a spirit. Some want to say the spirit is that of critical inquiry, or that it stems from a vision of the one true Church. The truth might be simpler than that: it could be just wanting to share, …

January 6, 2009 – 10:57 am | By ashok | Posted in christianity, education | Tagged | Comments (0)

Masaccio’s “Holy Trinity”

Seen in person at Santa Maria Novella in Florence. The Holy Trinity, with the Virgin and Saint John and donors The classical elements are not superfluous. The hallway supported by arches suggests the Father is walking towards us, except He is holding the cross bearing His Son. The dove, the Holy Spirit, is between Father …

January 1, 2009 – 2:37 am | By ashok | Posted in personal | Tagged | Comments (0)