One of the most difficult parts of engaging in any sort of online discussion about either religion or politics is that there is an increasing tendency to conflate principles with prudential decisions. This sort of fundamental categorical error can become a rhetorical move which disarms one’s opponent from the get-go, at least if he is…
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The decline of the church in Western culture is a much frequented topic in both religious and non-religious commentary. Whether parsed out in terms of diminishing influence or contrasted with the concurrent rise of the cohort affectionately labeled the Nones, there is an undeniable shift in the religious landscape which, although proceeding apace for the…
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The internet is at its best when it offers a forum for the robust interchange of ideas and information. But it is at its best-est when it offers a platform for bludgeoning one’s ideological opponents with infographics and flowcharts. Enter Slate’s entry into the arsenal of bad argumentation, How to Win a Climate Change Argument….
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The spammers have been getting more persistent lately, breaking down the normal walls that keep them out. Every day I find numerous comments flagged for approval, which generally merit only a glance before consigned to the nether regions of the inter webs. Fortunately, the robots have also been getting far more amusing, which is good…
read moreReading is important. But reading comprehension is even more important. Otherwise one can take missing the point to a new level. While most of us were unwrapping presents, polishing off the last of the egg-nog or returning unwanted items, a mini-furor erupted on the internets concerning Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in address to the Roman…
read moreDuring the course of my daily internets reading I happened upon a link to a Business Insider article, itself a rehash of a Facebook post which is one of the more astonishingly stupid things I have read in the past week. Granted, it is only Tuesday and the week is still new, so there is…
read moreAnother year has come and gone, taking flight upon the winds of time to be seen no more. Even though 2011 was a fairly crazy experience, 2012 was even more exhilarating. The maelstrom of life pours its waves over one’s head, swirling in all of its beauty and rage, plunging the might-have-beens and wish-I-could-haves into…
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One of my friends linked to a an interesting presentation/symposium built around a graduate thesis of Esteban Perez-Hemminger entitled certifyD: the certification dialogue. While I an not disposed to view certification as a solution to any perceived problem in the graphic design industry (in the United States, at least), I felt it was worth the effort…
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I happened upon this infographic this morning and was immediately intrigued. I am a fairly avid reader, so information on who reads what is always interesting to me. However, as I gave this graphic a second look I began to question the validity of the visuals. I’m in no position to dispute the numbers of…
read moreFor many of us who grew up in the 80′s there was nothing more exciting than a trip to McDonald’s. Even then we knew it wasn’t because of the food- we knew it was crap and that more than likely our parents took us there just so we would play contentedly in the PlayPlace for…
read moreThose lovable teenage turtles who also happened to be ninjas and eat nothing but pizza (conveniently enough for Pizza Hut) became a defining icon for children in the late 80′s through the late 90′s. The original animated series itself ran for nine years, and all of us followed it religiously. After all, ninjas are cool,…
read moreIn the 90′s one could justify just about anything in entertainment by claiming that it was educational. It really didn’t matter if the educational aspect was so ancillary to the show as to be negligible- if it could even remotely purport to teach us something we plopped down (or were plopped down) in front of…
read moreWhen I was 19 I had just started learning guitar and was trying my hand at writing some songs. I wasn’t that good at either the guitar or songwriting, (which is probably still the case…) since most of my instrumentation was limited to a few chords and my writing to vague and purposeless lines that…
read moreFor most of us growing up in the 80′s and early 90′s cartoons had a fairly straightforward plot involving good and evil- the evil people were the ones trying to take over the world, while the good guys were trying to prevent that. In most cases the evildoers had no rationale involved in their efforts…
read moreUnless you lived through the 90′s as a pre-teen to early teenager, this sitcom is nearly inexplicable. In fact, probably all of the 90′s could be summarized by one phrase: We Loved Puppets. I don’t know why, but if something had a puppet in it, we ate it up. Alf. The Muppets. Fraggle Rock. Dinosaurs….
read moreDuring our time in school we were continually educated on ways of being environmentally conscious. We were told to Give a Hoot by not polluting and to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Some of us would even have flushed the toilet a lot less if our parents hadn’t selfishly objected to standing pools of urine and…
read moreFor anyone who was born from 1980-1985, a single decade set in motion a chain of events that would mold our formative years like the balls of silly putty we spent hours rolling and pressing onto newspapers. Ten years that would leave wounds and scars that time could never heal. Someday we will have to…
read moreAfter the conclusion of the world’s largest lottery, ever, in the history of the universe, CBS News used the following as its headline: 3 Winners, Over 100 Million Mega Millions Losers In all actuality, it should read: Over 100 Million and 3 Losers. Some of the comments by those who participated illustrate why: “What do…
read moreSocial justice is one of those terms that has always perplexed me. My exposure to it is relatively recent, (within the last six years) but it has been bandied about so frequently within the intervening time that I couldn’t help but try and sort out what is meant by it. Which is harder than one…
read moreThe following is a guest post by my wife Megan. This year, I approached the Lenten season very differently than I have in the past. For the last 6 months my husband has been in and out of the hospital from intense chemotherapy and the day-to-day grind and “restrictions list” we have had to cope…
read moreToday I was browsing through the comments in the spam folder on my blog as I am wont to from time to time. Lately they have become rather uninteresting, as most tend to be rather lengthy ads for various products, mostly shoes and rhinestone bedazzled handbags. However, from time to time a real gem (not…
read moreSome of my friends went in together to get me a hammered dulcimer for Christmas. That’s right, a hammered dulcimer. Pretty sweet, huh? So I decided that the least I could was to make up a thank-you card. And what better way to say thank-you than with an epic beard? I can’t think of any…
read moreOne of the spiritual practices that I have been engaging in over the last few months has been to utilize the Liturgy of the Hours. While I have had a passing a familiarity with this over the last few years of my life, my present health circumstances have lent a new impetus to the practice….
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Protestations