Monthly Archives: October 2010

A Halloween Treat

Posted on October 31, 2010 by

A Lovecraftian Scooby-Doo episode, with Jeffrey (Herbert West, Re-Animator) Combs voicing the Bard of Arkham, and Harlan Ellison as himself. While this new series messes with S-D canon (Velma and Shaggy dating? Really?), it’s a funny episode featuring two of … Continue reading →

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More News from a Former Home Town

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

For burglars or for worse…

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One for the Good Guys

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

Long-time readers may recall that I asked you to support the University of Toronto’s Centre for Comparative Literature, which was founded by my critical hero, Northrop Frye, but which was threatened by a restructuring at U of T. Apparently, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 2 Comments

“*Choke*… Good Lord!”

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

As I’ve mentioned, comic books have been a part of the Mondoverse for decades. The Spawn is the third generation, and for our final Christmas, I gave my dad a hardbound collection of Vault of Horror reprints. Although I was … Continue reading →

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Now, They Complain

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it will protect students from anti-Semitism, based on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. An article at the CHE (behind a paywall) reports that some in the educational community … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics | 2 Comments

Prescriptions for Anxiety

Posted on October 28, 2010 by

When I meet someone new and they seem like someone with whom I’d like to talk, I either avoid mentioning my profession, or I simply tell them that I write. This is because I’ve learned that if I tell them … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Why I Do What I Do | 2 Comments

Searched Warrants

Posted on October 28, 2010 by

When I discuss argumentation with my students, I often use Stephen Toulmin’s approach, which describes argumentative components like the claim (the big idea), the reasons that support that claim, and the warrants — the often unspoken assumptions from which the … Continue reading →

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