Happy Labor Day



-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Thomas Keating

Image
(Photo from the Tribute page of Contemplative Outreach San Diego ) I was sad to learn of Father Keating's passing two weeks ago, but only joy springs to mind when I think of him. He taught many modern pilgrims the concept of apophatic prayer and meditation with his centering prayer retreats and writings. He ushered many into the profound beauty of resting in silence and emptiness before God. At the website for the Center for Action and Contemplation are three short remembrances of Fr. Thomas Keating from Cynthia Bourgeault, James Finley, and Richard Rohr. There is also a link at that site where you can view the memorial service on Nov. 16. For Further Reading: “ Thomas Keating, pioneer in centering prayer, interfaith dialogue, dies at 95 ,” an extensive article in the National Catholic Reporter about Father Keating which also includes a couple of brief words of his from video recordings. “ Father Thomas Keating Is a Rebel with a Cause ,” a cover story in 5280 Denver’s Mile High M...
Read more

Is Firefly overrated?

Image
The whole world is in need of a break from the madness, and someone on Twitter asked me to do a blog post about whether Firefly is overrated. So instead of econ or politics or serious stuff, let's talk about a television show that got canceled 13 years ago! :-) The answer to the question in the blog post title is: "Of course not." In the strictest sense, no sci-fi show is overrated, because people in general ought to watch more sci-fi and less of whatever they're watching now. Science fiction has taken over movies , but not TV. Fortunately, with great programs like Black Mirror, Stranger Things, etc., there's still lots of good stuff out there. But Firefly, more than probably any other show, holds a special place in the heart of my generation of geek-Americans. And it really is a great show. It's consistently at the top of user-generated lists of the best sci-fi shows ever. It's the subject of countless...OK, I'm not even going to finish this paragra...
Read more

Cultural appropriation is great!

Image
"You'll wear a Japanese kimono, babe/There'll be Italian shoes for me" - Randy Newman, Political Science A lot of people are talking about this story from Oberlin . Apparently some kids are complaining because certain kinds of Asian-themed food served in dining halls is crappy and non-authentic, and therefore constitutes "cultural appropriation." Now, on one hand, this is just a story about rich kids complaining about bad food. Nothing much to see here. But it gives me an opportunity to say something that has been rattling around in my head for a while: Cultural appropriation is actually a great thing! Wikipedia defines cultural appropriation as "the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of a different culture." This is a good thing, for several reasons. Reason 1: Product diversity. This is the simple, "Econ 101" reason, if you will. Suppose Japanese people open a bunch of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. The "Italian fo...
Read more