Monthly Archives: August 2009

At the University of Dallas in Irving, TX, 8/28 – 8/30

Things move quickly – almost as if there were no motion – when arranged for a purpose: I was there to rehearse and sing for an ordination Mass; two Cistercians (one a former choir member) were to be ordained deacons. Campus, of course, had not changed, nor significantly the apartments where I had stayed for …

August 31, 2009 – 3:43 pm | By ashok | Posted in personal | Comments (4)

Prompt: If you’re thinking about starting a blog, don’t

In my experience, anonymous or not, the quality of one’s insights and shrewdness of one’s observations are the things that tend to push a blogger up through the ranks. – Dan Drezner I actually laughed out loud reading that. I realize I have given advice that was semi-skeptical about blogging nowadays. Right now, I’m even …

August 27, 2009 – 4:24 pm | By ashok | Posted in blogging | Comments (5)

Links, 8/26/09

Michael Yon’s latest dispatch from Afghanistan is excellent reading, but his embed has been ended by the British Ministry of Defense. Instapundit linked to CentreRight re: this situation, and I hadn’t seen that blog before: now I’m convinced that something like that should exist in the States, it is excellent. Two links from aldaily.com – …

August 26, 2009 – 12:45 pm | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (0)

Summer’s end: On Dickinson’s “A South Wind – has a pathos…” (719)

“A South Wind – has a pathos…” (719) Emily Dickinson A South Wind – has a pathos Of individual Voice – As One detect on Landings An Emigrant’s address. A Hint of Ports and Peoples – And much not understood – The fairer – for the farness – And for the foreignhood. Comment: “A South …

August 25, 2009 – 1:59 pm | By ashok | Posted in dickinson, poetry | Comments (1)

Memo to Conservatives: If you don’t show the President respect, conservatism is doomed

I don’t care whether showing up with guns where the President will be was a publicity stunt or not – it’s highly inappropriate and should be illegal (I don’t care that the White House is cool with this because it makes conservatives look bad. It’s the height of irresponsibility on their part, too). The 2nd …

August 21, 2009 – 2:27 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Comments (22)

Links, 8/19/09

On interminable bores – a bit over the top, but well-worth the read. fta: I often have the feeling that bores want to be addressing a whole crowd but can’t seem to find one. A friend once told me that when a mutual acquaintance of ours spoke to him, he felt like a town meeting. …

August 19, 2009 – 7:42 am | By ashok | Posted in links | Comments (1)

Holy Family: On Jane Kenyon’s “Mosaic of the Nativity: Serbia, Winter 1993″

Mosaic of the Nativity: Serbia, Winter 1993 (from “The Writer’s Almanac”) Jane Kenyon On the domed ceiling God is thinking: I made them my joy, and everything else I created I made to bless them. But see what they do! I know their hearts and arguments: “We’re descended from Cain. Evil is nothing new, so …

August 16, 2009 – 10:48 am | By ashok | Posted in christianity, poetry | Tagged | Comments (2)

Populist Rage, the Rule of Law, and Michael Vick

Some of you know that over here, in the States, an American football player named Michael Vick was signed to a team. He had been serving time for doing unspeakable things to animals, things that I would probably lock myself away for even thinking. Some of you are also aware that the entirety of the …

August 14, 2009 – 3:14 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Comments (8)

One More Health Care Link…

…we seem to have hit an impasse in the last post about how all the issues regarding health care reform relate. I personally am using two separate practical arguments – “we can’t afford this thing” and “I don’t trust the other side because they’re pretty much cooking up numbers for an agenda I don’t even …

August 13, 2009 – 7:38 pm | By ashok | Posted in links, politics | Comments (1)

I feel like I should say something about the craziness & redundancy of American politics recently…

…but I’m going to leave that up to you, and you are more than welcome to contribute links and discuss. This is just a prompt. My concern is: “What exactly brought us here, and can it be reversed, or do we have to wait this thing out?” Links to start: LGF – Arlen Specter’s much …

August 11, 2009 – 11:08 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Comments (8)