By every act of good, we quantitatively … do make the world better, and we disproportionately make the world better for the receiver of our kindness. “The Capacity for Good of an Ordinary Man” at ThinkingWest One might think that the greatest good one can do is that which benefits the most amount of people.
As in could have knocked me over. I’ve been reading a lot of calls for stories and short story writing contest blurbs lately looking for place to submit. I reject a great many out of hand because I know I would be rejected out of hand. They are written by 27 year olds (not that
I mentioned that Town is going to be voting on a proposal to implement a 2% tourism tax on hotels, motels, Air B&Bs, and places that serve prepared foods, i.e., restaurants. Town has one semi-seedy little motel and no Air B&Bs so it’s a tax on Town’s restaurants which will be passed along as a
And it’s not me. Highly recommend you click on over to Story Mill Ranch and read this post, which includes a lovely letter from Abigail Adams to John, written in October 1774. I love the 4th of July. No, not because of hot dogs, watermelons, and fireworks, although those are certainly lovely, but because I
A Short History of Technology from the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900, Derry and Williamson. Oxford University Press, 1961. In what sense is Man the possessor of power over Nature? C.S. Lewis The Abolition of Man (1943) That is the question that begins the third and final chapter (from a series of three lectures) in
Be sure to read to the end, in case you’ve forgotten about this disgusting and un-American episode from the distant past of 2019. ~~~ I posted the following on October 2, 2013. Reposting it in its entirety (though reformatted) for the Memorial Day weekend, 2019. Ernie Pyle was an American journalist and war correspondent. A quick
Originally published May 2, 2019. Looks like that month was a pretty good one. As you know, this is not a political blog, though from time to time I do venture off the farm and comment on life. I’ll go look for a recipe to post to make up for this. I worry when the
From March 2019. March 2023. I really don’t mind ironing, but life is shorter than it was four years ago. In today’s Drudgework Monday we’ll do a lot of ironing, review some movies, and muse about civilization. Twenty-two point eight five gigs– that’s how much ironing I did this weekend. I do not mind ironing.
not a single student can read at grade level Some place on the internet Going off script this morning. Happy happy Marica will be back shortly. That article is about schools in Illinois. You know who’s fault this is? I’ll tell you. I only skimmed so I didn’t catch what the definition is for ‘grade
This is a re-post from July 2021 (seems like yesterday). I left it as originally written but I’ll add a bit. I was skimming through The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English (Victor Watson, ed., Cambridge University Press 2001) yesterday and read the entry on Randall Jarrell (1914-1965). Jarrell was a brilliant poet–he was
There are plenty of serious comments to make about this. Academia Medicine appears to be a legitimate on-line journal, of a certain sort. That said, there’s no conceivable reason for me to have gotten this email. Yes, I subscribed to Academia dot edu (free version) because I needed a paper and this was the only
Catching up from a busy day yesterday which means today is a busy day as well. So I’m just going to take a few and recount something that happened yesterday when we were in the city of Tupelo. But first! A story. Neither Mr. Big Food nor I can say Tupelo without sometimes mispronouncing it
As you know, I’ve been combing through those old Horizon Magazine of the Arts volumes that I have. It shouldn’t but it does amaze me that folk 60 years ago thought so tenderly about television and its promise. Much the same as we had such hope for The Internet. It’s not all bad, of course.
Yes, indeed, Dear Readers–it’s time once again for our annual mini-rant about why I don’t like the term, “Black Friday.” [Minor edits form original] “Black Friday” Thoughts: Part 1 Originally published on November 24, 2011 These two short essays are from Lines of a Layman: T)he Golden Rule in Every Day Living. The author is a guy named
I know everyone is ready to be in a festive mood, but I couldn’t resist re-posting this from 10 years ago. I hate the phrase “Black Friday.” Later today I will devote some time to its origin and long-abandoned alternatives. Are you starting to prep for the weekend yet? Mr. Big Food moved the turkey
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