Monthly Archives: July 2011

A Bit of Irony…

Posted on July 31, 2011 by profmondo

“I just want to be clean.” — Jim Carroll, from The Basketball Diaries. A facebook friend (and former classmate) of mine posted the following as her status a few minutes ago, with regard to the debt ceiling debates: Text, tweet, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 19 Comments

In Which the Prof Is Reminded that Rock and Roll Is a Young Man’s Game (If You Don’t Have Roadies)

Posted on July 30, 2011 by profmondo

Played a gig down on the town square last night, as part of a summer community concert series. We’ve played this a few times before over the years, to generally elderly and indifferent crowds (as a friend of mine once … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Music, Why I Do What I Do | 9 Comments

A Question of Ownership

Posted on July 29, 2011 by profmondo

Although our attention is focused on other things these days, I continue to oppose the Obama administration’s efforts to manipulate the health-care system, and a column by A. Barton Hinkle at Reason gets to the heart of much of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 2 Comments

What? More Heinlein?

Posted on July 29, 2011 by profmondo

In one of his first “Future History” stories, “The Roads Must Roll“, RAH posits a rebellion of transportation workers who proclaim the “functionalist” revolution. As wiki observes, the rebellion “advances the idea that one’s status and level of material reward … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Politics | 1 Comment

Heard This on the Morning News…

Posted on July 29, 2011 by profmondo

… and Jonah picked it up too, so I might as well pass it along. From Business Insider: According to the latest daily statement from the U.S. Treasury, the government had an operating cash balance of $73.8 billion at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

From a Skylark (and Not the Buick Sort)

Posted on July 28, 2011 by profmondo

OK, this is probably pathetic, but I tend to save the evaluations and letters of recommendation people have written for me over the years, and I go back and reread them on days when I’m feeling particularly futile, to remind … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Music, Why I Do What I Do | Leave a comment

In Which the Prof Juxtaposes Some Quotes (A Long Post)

Posted on July 28, 2011 by profmondo

Some decades back, Robert Heinlein decided to take a look at where he thought trends were carrying his (and my) beloved nation. He offered two scenarios, closing with an optimistic one. But it’s the first, darker one that has stuck … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Politics | 3 Comments

A Thought on Amateurism…

Posted on July 27, 2011 by profmondo

Arethusa considers the decline of what she calls amateurism in intellectual endeavor in recent decades — what we also might think of as the work of “independent scholars”, outside the traditional, orthodox academic setting (think Schliemann or the backyard astronomer … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Politics | 6 Comments

How Twigs Get Bent: Strangers

Posted on July 26, 2011 by profmondo

A while back, I reviewed Megan Abbott’s novel, The End of Everything. At Abbott’s blog, she discusses what appear to be unconscious connections between her novel (which deals with a missing child) and similar cases that took place during her … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Faith, Family, Why I Do What I Do | 1 Comment

Levelling Down

Posted on July 25, 2011 by profmondo

As I was in the cafeteria at Mondoville today, I was chatting with the Angel’s’ Legal Aid (as I serve the role of Devil’s Advocate, so…), and the topic of egalitarianism somehow crept into the conversation, which reminded me of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Literature, Politics | 1 Comment