Monthly Archives: April 2009

Links, 4/13/09

First two links, h/t aldaily.com: Taliban: The Movie – in case you needed to know how brutal the Taliban are, a discussion of that video of a 17 year old being beaten for “adultery.” Atheist rips Bill Maher’s Religulous: fta – Without even a whiff of irony – and I am not making this up

On Hopkins’ “The Caged Skylark”

The Caged Skylark Gerard Manley Hopkins (from bartleby.com) AS a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage Man’s mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells— That bird beyond the remembering his free fells; This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life’s age. Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage, Both sing sometímes the sweetest,

Links, 4/10/09

Yeah, lots to do still. But a few things I’ve looked at that you might want to check out: Regarding Alexander Hamilton – yes, he read Plutarch. He also said his experiences in business were the most “useful” part of his education. On Freelancing/Self-Employment – the main issue I’m having with the concept is how

Links, 4/8/09

Harvey Mansfield’s jeremiad against economics is essential reading (h/t aldaily.com). fta – Overconfidence in overcoming chance is the way of life recommended by economists. It is the way of life known as progress by liberals and as growth by conservatives, who are secretly united by overconfidence in their knowledge of the future which they describe

Learning the Hard Way: On John Updike’s “The Alligators”

The plot of John Updike’s short story “The Alligators” seems simple enough. Adolescent boy thinks he hates adolescent girl and torments her; boy realizes he’s a social outcast like girl; boy falls in love with girl; boy gets rejected, for he is neither needed nor wanted. To illustrate, starting with the girl: Everybody hated her.

Yeah, I’m Busy…

…I owe a few of you e-mails, some of you phone calls, and yes, this blog does need an update, I realize. I just finished a very short but dense chapter on Pericles and Socrates for the dissertation, and there’s a few more to go before this thing even gets edited. If I can take