We get a lot of questions about why the proprietor of this fine establishment is so mean. There are probably many reasons, but because this is a FAQ, we are supplying the following audio files that may help you make some headway with the question. These are three readings of blog posts from the past.
The Size of Basketballs
“They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear …
What Both Shines and Stinks
This linked article drew my attention back to something that I’ve been pondering for some years now. Yes, I am aware this was written by a lady who is an Anglican priest wanting to function within the constraints of historic Christian practice. You can’t have everything, you know. The issue is accountability, in this case, …
Win or Winnow or Both?
Introduction: Sometimes, after I have thrown a Molotov cocktail or two, meaning by this an incendiary adjective, or hot incandescent metaphor, a number of my friends who follow this blog have counted to twenty-five, muttering to themselves all the while that they know there is going to be a follow-up post, one that will seek …
Race to the Punch Line
We are currently engaged in a culture-wide race to the conclusion of a reductio ad absurdum. Think of it this way. Back in the Bill Clinton era, there were always stories of the “trail of bodies.” If you gave any credence to them at all, you were a nut, a conspiracy theorist, a true head …
Trump Contemplative
World magazine recently sat down with Donald Trump to ask about his spiritual influences. There were some surprises. The full interview will be published when the devil has to buy ice skates. But until then, here is a sneak peek at some of the things World was frankly not anticipating. Asked about which book apart …
On the Attempted Defenestration of Mablog Through the Overton Window
So then first, what is this Overton Window? That window, named after Joseph “Wiki” Overton — who coined the phrase — refers to the range of ideas that are palatable, thinkable, acceptable, or otherwise within the pale, when it comes to public discourse. Outside the window, you’re just a hate-filled weirdo. In the area of …
Laughter Duty
I threw the following tweet into the digital abyss the other day, and watched it flutter downward, ever downward, reminding me of one of those maple tree whirligig things. Anyhow, this is what I said. Those who cannot respond to examples of cultural madness with laughter are in the process of going mad themselves. And …
Trolls Live Under the Bridge
This post will be part housekeeping, and then some exposition of the housekeeping. First the housekeeping. Under our new system here, comment moderation is managed according to the folkways, mores and customs of Disqus. This system is now necessary because right around the same time I moved to my new theme, the number of comments …
Why Do It Then?
The other evening our elders had a special meeting with our parishioners to go over some of the details of the recent controversies. The meeting was fantastic, but my point is not to get into all that. Rather I wanted to simply to respond more fully to one of the questions, one that went something …