Monthly Archives: March 2016

The Polls Don’t Lie

Posted on March 31, 2016 by hessd

Of course, they don’t tell the truth either. The New York Times/CBS poll came out last week. I discarded the rest of my electronic New York Times and called up the poll. What do these 1,252 potential voters have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Almost Easter, 2016

Posted on March 27, 2016 by hessd

Today, the Saturday before Easter, doesn’t have a name so far as I know. In the church Bette and I attend, there are special services for Maundy Thursday [1] and Good Friday [2] and of course, on Easter [3]. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, ways of knowing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Dementia and Orthodoxy

Posted on March 25, 2016 by hessd

I get into trouble more, in my opinion, than I really deserve to. It is true that I do like to have words mean something. I know that is troublesome. I like it even better when the words mean what … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Getting Old | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michael Moore on “Where to Invade Next”

Posted on March 21, 2016 by hessd

The United States (hereafter “we”) look really bad in the recent Michael Moore movie, “Where to Invade Next.” That’s not a headline. We don’t look good in any of the Michael Moore movies. It’s just a statement about what I … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Society, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being “useful”

Posted on March 20, 2016 by hessd

“We do not take well to uselessness.” So says Wendy Lustbader in her superb Counting on Kindness: the Dilemmas of Dependency. She has older people in mind, but I would like to explore the idea today in a somewhat broader … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why we want to elect “a strong man”

Posted on March 18, 2016 by hessd

I recently wrote an essay on the theme that Donald Trump, as scary as he is as a candidate, is really only a product of our electoral feelings. The metaphor I used was that Trump is a weed, the plant … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

“The Intern” as a Theological Prop

Posted on March 12, 2016 by hessd

This is a frankly theological take on Nancy Meyers’ movie, The Intern. As always, I absolve the writer, the director (both Nancy Meyers) the producers, and all the actors from having any such intention. I am writing here about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Being Nice (or not)

Posted on March 6, 2016 by hessd

I had a truly amazing experience this week.  It happened right in front of me in less than a minute and I have been thinking about it ever since.  I was there to buy batteries.  A more complicated sale–the earphones … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Donald is just a weed

Posted on March 2, 2016 by hessd

A lot of people are worried about Donald Trump. As a liberal Democrat, I have many reasons to worry about him, myself. That is not what I am going to write about today, but before I take up my topic, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments