Category Archives: Uncategorized

So…who IS the fairest of us all?

Posted on January 12, 2022 by hessd

I’ve been in a number of conversations recently that presume race and racism as the proper context for the discussion. It isn’t always. Sometimes it is culture; sometimes it is class; sometimes it is religious practice. And on some of … Continue reading →

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Staying Protected Against “Them”

Posted on January 4, 2022 by hessd

I want to express a guarded admiration for “them.” Before I do that, I will need to say just who I mean by “them” and also to suggest that the clarity of that designation is becoming a little ragged around … Continue reading →

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And be sure to look both ways

Posted on December 31, 2021 by hessd

Yes, well, easier said than done. I caught myself cheating this morning and this was just as I was backing out of my parking spot. This is the way it happens with me, for good or ill. I catch a … Continue reading →

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The Seduction of Joe Hawkins

Posted on December 23, 2021 by hessd

If you have been reading this blog recently, you know that I have been thinking about some of the “interpersonal” issues dealt with by the TV series Humans. [1] Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill), frustrated and angry at what he has … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, you Bastard

Posted on December 22, 2021 by hessd

I wrote recently about my “victory laps.” I started counting when I hit 80 and every year thereafter is a victory lap. One of the reasons to call the additional miles something special is that it gives me a chance … Continue reading →

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A Victory Lap in a year of COVID

Posted on December 16, 2021 by hessd

For quite a while before I crossed “the finish line” [1] I gave some thought to what to do next. There are some good reasons to think about the question, but there are also some pictures in my head that … Continue reading →

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A Dutch Nativity

Posted on December 15, 2021 by hessd

A couple I knew in the 1970s sent me this creche in appreciation for a Bible study we and some of their classmates at Westminster College had just completed. It was Luke’s story this year, which accounts for some of … Continue reading →

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But First It Will Piss You Off

Posted on December 7, 2021 by hessd

Using emotionally powerful language for your own purposes is a time-honored practice. Especially for humor. Humor sets one meaning against another in a playful context [1] and one of the meanings may be an allusion to a well-known phrase. I … Continue reading →

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Meet the Barbara

Posted on December 4, 2021 by hessd

Sherry Turkle warned long ago that people seize on “counseling computers” and confess the most remarkable things to them. I enjoyed her account when Alone Together was published in 2011, but I hadn’t thought about it recently. Then Joe and … Continue reading →

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The Magnificat and the Great Reversal

Posted on December 1, 2021 by hessd

The song “O, What a Beautiful Morning” on my recording (Siri’s choice) of Oklahoma, takes 2:35. The fragment of that same song included takes about 36 seconds, just long enough to introduce the theme and then move on. For Advent … Continue reading →

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