Monthly Archives: July 2011

A Bit of Irony…

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

“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

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

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

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

… 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

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

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