Culture: a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, — transmitted from generation to generation through learning. culture as widely defined A fact is that which from being an object of the intellect becomes a matter of conscience;…
Yesterday, there was a good deal of rain. I took a walk into Braeburn Marsh. The marshland floor was wet; the decomposition of wood fragments of the fallen giant cottonwoods was a visible example of the carbon cycle. Sunlight, to sugar by photosynthesis, to the cellulose wood fiber over time, becoming a 50 foot…
Arbery, remember that name. I am late to be aware of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. I overheard others in the household conversing about his death. The 25 year old was jogging through a neighborhood, when two armed men, a father and son, pursued him in a pickup. Arbery’s path was obstructed,…
Yesterday I finished a chapter in The Rebel by Albert Camus entitled The Regicides. Camus writes to detail the theoretical underpinning of the Jacobin Reign of Terror. All opponents of the uprising against Louis XVI, indeed those in favor of the idea of divine right of kings — were lead to the scaffold, put…
I subscribe to the New York Times Sunday edition. The diverse content, the quality of journalism and fine writing provide a weeks-worth of pleasurable reading. The Arts and Leisure section for Sunday the 12th (Easter) featured a piece entitled Searching for a Jesus Who Looks Like Me. The topic was the range of personal…
Rising early to read and write I sat in the early dawn light here in the lobby at the Best Western Derby Inn in Eagle River. The slant of the sun illuminates the line of white birch trees in the distance. I exchanged morning greetings with one of the managers just after she had…
Yes, I know there is a book by that title. I read a NY Times article (Who Killed the Knapp Family?) forwarded by a friend, that reminded me afresh, that I live in a country of multitudes of a suffering, beleaguered, permanent underclass. The phrase captures the story that I have to write this…
The beautiful monster vomits a stream of watches clocks jewels knives silver coins & copper blood The well of time & trouble whiskey bottles perfume razor blades beads liquid insects hammers & thin nails the feet of birds eagle feathers & claws machine parts chrome teeth hair shards of pottery & skulls the ruins…
After out patient surgery earlier in the day our daughter was resting. She chose The Matrix film as entertainment. We waited for the medication to arrive from Walgreens and refreshed our memories of this great film from 1999. There are many lines of dialog from the characters Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity that are as…
I did something that I cannot remember doing before. I saw the same movie twice, Ford vs Ferrari which features Matt Damon playing the role of Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale in the role of Ken Miles. The story is a exploration of human nature, the cost of achieving excellence, — an adventure involving…
