Monthly Archives: June 2014

The Fault in Our Stars

Posted on June 30, 2014 by hessd

When you are dying of cancer, the question of what, really, is the point of living, becomes pressing.  John Green has written a really good book about that dilemma.  It is called The Fault in Our Stars.[1]  Hazel Grace Lancaster, … Continue reading →

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Stereotyping

Posted on June 28, 2014 by hessd

One of my favorite introductions to a topic comes from Tom Lehrer’s song, “Smut.”  “I do have a cause though,” he says,  “Smut…I’m for it.”  That little ellipsis gives you a chance to imagine why he hates smut so much … Continue reading →

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The Wild Wild West (Bank)

Posted on June 22, 2014 by hessd

Yesterday, June 20, four Presbyterians at the church’s annual national meeting, voted for divestiture.  Had they not, the church’s motion would have failed again—as it did last year, by two votes—but because they did, it passed this year by seven … Continue reading →

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Being “Beautiful”

Posted on June 18, 2014 by hessd

So I’m this old guy with a white beard.  What would I know about being “beautiful”? Quite a bit, actually.  I don’t know how it feels to be beautiful, having…you know…never been, but I do know how it feels to … Continue reading →

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Peace in All Three Iraqs

Posted on June 16, 2014 by hessd

I don’t know what the Romans called the area that is now—for the next months at least—called Iraq.  Just to make it easy on me, let’s say they called it “Iraq.”  That brings us next door to one of the … Continue reading →

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Only St. Peter Controls the Copier Codes

Posted on June 11, 2014 by hessd

According to Matthew’s account of the transaction, Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven (see Chapter 16).  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that Bowdoin College has disabled the keys given to the Bowdoin Christian … Continue reading →

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Wanting What You Can Have

Posted on June 7, 2014 by hessd

My old friend Tony and I get together at the Cadillac Café every now and then just to keep up on what’s going on.  The last time we were together, he passed on a saying that was current in his … Continue reading →

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Are the people of Feathertown, Tennessee, Idiotēs?

Posted on June 1, 2014 by hessd

I think so.  I am going to offer some information about Feathertown from Barbara Kingsolver, who invented it and described it in her marvelous novel, Flight Behavior.  She has set a major dilemma in Feathertown: what to do about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Political Psychology, Politics, Sustainability, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment