Monthly Archives: July 2017

Speaking facts to power

Posted on July 30, 2017 by hessd

That’s not a typo. If you were expecting “Speaking truth to power,” read on. In December, 2015, a blogger named Jade Greear, began a piece with the well-known expression “Speaking Truth to Power.” [1] Greear continued: Those four little words … Continue reading →

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Weeding tares is way above your pay grade

Posted on July 28, 2017 by hessd

The story Jesus told to his disciples about the wheat and the “tares” (a plant now called Bearded Darnel, as I understand it) is one of the least satisfying stories of Jesus’s ministry. (This story and all the others I … Continue reading →

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Alyx Amber, Miss Portland 2017

Posted on July 22, 2017 by hessd

I want to reflect a little today on Alyx Amber, [1] who is currently Facility Services Coordinator at Holladay Park Plaza, where Bette and I live. She is also Miss Portland 2017. I put her name in the first sentence … Continue reading →

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He said, She said, and Russian Roulette

Posted on July 15, 2017 by hessd

Rape is always a bad idea. Let’s start with that. On the other hand, doing “whatever is necessary” to prevent rapes–stop for a moment to consider what actions that standard justifies– is also a bad idea. Where do we go … Continue reading →

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Am I (being) depressed?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by hessd

Today, I want to look at the kind of guidance our language gives us on depression, especially whether it can best be conceived of as active or passive. But before I do that, I have a very small admission to … Continue reading →

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Mayor Murphy and half-a-loaf politics

Posted on July 11, 2017 by hessd

This might be the time to take another look at Mayor Murphy. We have all the True Believers and hyperpatriots we really need right now. We have a Congress full of people who have signed pledges of ideological purity and … Continue reading →

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A Wedding, a “Declaration” and an “Address”

Posted on July 5, 2017 by hessd

Written July 4, 2017.  Happy Independence Day! I’d like to look today at Thomas Jefferson’s well-known statement that “all men are created equal.” Some critics have said that this is the height of hypocrisy, coming as it does from a … Continue reading →

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There is more to this story

Posted on July 4, 2017 by hessd

Does this illustration remind you of anything? It reminded me of that whirlwind survey of the relationship of Carl and Ellie Fredericksen, with which the movie, Up, begins. They are little children, they are lovers, they are spouses, then he … Continue reading →

Posted in A life of faith, Getting Old, Words | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Book of Henry

Posted on July 2, 2017 by hessd

I’d like to invite you to see one of the most thought-provoking movies I have seen in a long time. It is The Book of Henry, directed by Colin Trevarrow. If you are going to see it, you might want … Continue reading →

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